The Long and Winding Road That Leads Me to You
by sleepystoryteller
Summary: Aria had always been a hardworking, devoted woman striving to prove herself in the world. But when some people from her past resurfaces in the most unexpected way, everything is turned upside down. Not to mention, the other surprises that life continuously throws her way. NOT ATU.
1. I Call Your Name

The Long and Winding Road

By iluvpmacc

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING RELATED TO THE BEATLES!

Aria's POV

God only knows that being a woman in a mainly male dominated workplace is hard. I have actual dreams of amounting to something in my life rather than becoming the common housewife like every other girl in England. My first few months working at the Liverpool Journal were scary as hell, but frankly speaking, the most annoying of my life. The way I am treated differently even today, two years after I have started working here, appalls me. I have to work harder for every little step I take, meanwhile the others get their work cut out and handed to them on a silver platter. Thankfully, a year ago, another female journalist, Caroline, joined this absurd place that I still somehow manage to love. We had become fast friends as I taught her the ropes of being a working female in the sixties, and we now look out for each other and keep each other sane and grounded. After I left home when I was twenty, she has been my closest and best friend. If she had not shown up, there is a high chance that I would be locked up in an insane asylum right now for going on a mass murder streak in my workplace. Well actually, that's over exaggerating the reality just slightly.

Point blank, I am a hard worker. And I love the feeling of accomplishing things on my own. I have a small one bedroom apartment in one of the greatest places in the world (in my opinion), a steady job which, although it drives me up the wall, pays well and helps me work towards my goal of someday being a published author, and a best friend that I could never replace. For me, life is good, if only a bit stressed.

I take a sip of a cup of strong black coffee and settle into my cubicle for the day of work ahead. Looking at my to-do list, I see the one item that has been circled and circled many times that I continuously put off. CRAP! The article on the loose foundation of the local bridge was due today! A swear of curses run through my mind as I panic and try and figure out what to do. Never before have I ever _ever_ turned in an article, or anything for that matter, late. And now I don't have a single word of this paper done! This is all Mary's fault. If my sister hadn't gone and decided to get married right now and pick me as her bridesmaid…OH! I also have to call the floral arrangers and check to see if the flowers that Damian and her had requested are ready! And I have to request the day after tomorrow off to go dress shopping with her, but with this article not even written I don't know how well that's going to go over with the boss. And I need my paycheck because my rent for the apartment is due in one week! I rubbed my sleep deprived eyes and remembered that I had also forgotten to put food in Jet's bowl. Great. Now I'm even neglecting my dog. What next?

This day is not going to go well.

I hear footsteps approaching and sigh as Caroline enters my tiny place that I can call my own in this building. It is covered with little scribbles of notes reminding me what to do, a large calendar where all my important events were put on, and a huge list of phone numbers that are related to the wedding. "Honey," Caroline states. "You look a mess." And she is right. My curly brown hair in its usual tight bun is in a low, messy ponytail, my pencil skirt is the same one I had worn yesterday to work, and to top it all off, there is a somewhat small stain on my white button down. Just dandy. Even my hazel eyes make me look like I have passed the age of sixty, when I am only twenty two, due to the bags under them. I am most certainly going to make a fabulous impression on my boss when I look like I just got drunk and came then decided to show up for work.

Meanwhile Caroline here looks absolutely fabulous as usual. Her pin straight blonde hair is always something I'll be jealous of, along with her bright green eyes. Her style sense is impeccable, and she can stun in the office or in any bar or club. The moment we walk in, no other girl matters, because all eyes are on my best friend. The best thing about Caroline, the thing I love the most, is that she does not try to be this way. Her inner beauty and personality shine out through the outside. Sure, it must be nice to have all the men at work want you, or countless guys in the bar offer to buy you a drink, but it does not get to her head. She's a smart girl, and she will not let any guy change that about herself. Guys get intimidated when they meet a beautiful, smart, and working girl, but that is the spell that Car keeps them all under. At the very beginning, I had my doubts about Car, but I learned that she is just as hardworking and motivated as I am. She is not just another pretty face, and she deserves much more than just another handsome boy.

"Car, I don't know what's happening to me… You know how I usually am. This is something completely new. I can't handle this much! And I don't even have the article written!" As I say these words, I realize how unlikely it is that I will make it through another day of work here. Mr. Sansone, the boss, looks for every little reason to fire people. I did not complete an entire article! What am I supposed to do?

Caroline walks over to my chair and puts her hands on my shoulders. "Aria Chapman, look at me." I do with tired eyes. "Just think-" But she does not get to complete her pep talk (not that it would have made a difference anyway). At that moment, who else should walk by but Mr. Sansone himself. His tall, towering frame entered my cubicle as Caroline and I stood up quickly. His head of jet black hair gives him an extra two inches of hair at least, and anyone can wilt from the stare from those icy grey eyes.

"Mr. Sansone! How can I help you?" I am surprised by how calm and collected I sound. Considering I am most likely going to be fired.

"Good morning. I was hoping that you could take a walk with me to my office." I felt a huge lump form in my throat. Did he somehow already know how much of a slacker I have been? I did not even start the bloody article, for goodness sake! How can I expect any mercy from this man?

"Yes, sir, of course," I almost whispered, feeling more scared than I was in my entire life. I walked out, looking back in pure terror at Car. God save me if I lose this job. I will be a failure. All that I finally proved to myself, that I could make it on my own in the big bad man's world, would be gone. Poof. Done. I stepped inside the office door of Mr. Sansone, feeling the tears well up in my eyes. I quickly made them disappear, though. If there is one thing Aria Chapman does not do, it is cry. I will go out with dignity and whatever pride I have left. I sat down in a chair straight across the huge desk as Mr. Sansone settled into his. Heart clenching seconds passed as I waited for him to deliver the terrible news.

"So Aria, you have been working dutifully and determinedly for two years at the Liverpool Journal. Being one of the first women here, I can imagine it has been hard for you, but you have measured beyond the standard that a bottom level journalist usually performs at. I feel that it is time you write your first front page story."

My jaw drops. It actually drops open. Did I hear him right? Did he actually just say I could right a front pager? A few seconds later, I am actually believing it. I let out a small chuckle in disbelief. Mr. Sansone looks confused. "Is there something amusing?" He looks down. "Does it happen to do with the horrid bulldog tie that my wife picked out for me this morning?"

"No, no Mr. Sansone-"

"Call me Eric, please."

"Oh!" Mr. Sansone was being much nicer than I am remembering him to be. "Well, um, Eric, you see the thing is that…" I take a deep breath. "The article on the bridge foundation is incomplete. Actually, incomplete is an understatement. I have not started on it."

To my utter astonishment, Mr. Sansone dismisses the statement with a wave of the hand. "Aria, if I counted every single piece that had not been submitted against everyone who works here, there would be no one left. I am surprised that you have been here two whole years and done everything in a timely fashion!"

I must have died and gone to heaven. This could be the only plausible explanation for this sudden turn of events.

"So Aria, about this new article, here's the topic. There is a new band of four lads in Liverpool that is taking the place by storm. They call themselves the Beatles, and they just came back from performing in Hamburg. They'll be at the Cavern performing almost every night. Your assignment is to do a history on them, and a sort of 'Meet the Band' kind of thing. I've already scheduled an interview with them tonight after their performance at the Cavern."

I take it all into account. The Beatles? A band? Probably some upperclass snobs who think they are so amazing just because everyone knows their names. Why would I get assigned to write about them of all things? Four guys who probably will give me yes and no answers and not think I am worth my time. But bloody hell, if this is what gets me my big break, then the Beatles it will be. I have never been much of a music person, though, where's the time to listen to it? "Mr. Sansone-"

"Aria, please, it's Eric."

"Eric, I would absolutely love this job! I just have to warn you that I am not the most musically inclined person."

Mr. Sansone lets out a laugh and places his large hand on my shoulder, which I look down at confused. But I quickly take my mind off of that and focus on what he is saying. "Aria, you'll be great. You have real talent, and it's a privilege those young lads have that you're the one writing about them."

I smile, deciding to ignore the fact that the complimenting was somewhat excessive. "Thank you sir, I won't let you down!"

"Oh and Aria, why not just take the rest of the day off? You will be working tonight, so go ahead."

I fly back to my cubicle on cloud nine. This was the best thing that has _ever _happened to me. I am going to be writing the front page news! People are going to know my name! _And _I did not get fired! Car is still in my cubicle when I get back, eating some kind of flavored yogurt. As she notices me, she immediately starts bombarding me with questions. I tell her everything, ending with my piece about this band called The Beatles.

"THE BEATLES!" she shrieks. Caroline can also be a real girl sometimes. Not most of the time, but sometimes. And this is one of the times. "You're going to interview the Beatles! I cannot believe this!" I shrug, confused as to why she's so excited. In my opinion, this is not about the Beatles. This is about me getting my front page story! And a day off!

"It's no big deal. Listen, I'm going to go back home, want to come with me tonight?" I ask, feeling that it will be better to face this most likely hubristic band with my best friend at my side (even if she is a little obsessed with them).

Car's face falls. "Oh I would, I would! But I have to take the train and go see my brother today, his wife is nearly eight months pregnant and I have not visited them in ages! But you have fun tonight! And tell them your best friend says hi, and that she absolutely adores them!"

I roll my eyes and laugh. "Anything for you, Car." We hug and I make my way out of the office six hours early. So this is what it must be like to be free on Saturday afternoons! I decide to go and get some new work clothes as a treat, and I even stop and have a delicious lunch of fish and chips from my favorite corner store, _Gillian's Ocean_. I used to eat here so much when I had first moved in, but as time passed I have been visiting less and less. Still on a first name basis with the cashier, though.

Getting back into my apartment, I immediately drop all my bags and go pour some food in Jet's bowl. "Sorry, dear," I tell him as I watch him hungrily lap up his food. With still many, many hours to spare before I have to attend the gig, I houseclean, call the florist, and watch my favorite movie, _Gone With the Wind_. Scarlett O'Hara may just about be my most favorite person in this world. It is a shame she is not real.

At 7:00pm, I decide it is time to go for a shower. The hot water hits me and I hiss as I turn it lower until it reaches a comfortable level. Drying off twenty minutes later, I don one of the outfits that I bought on my shopping trip today: a black shirt with a red top, and small black wedges to match. My hair is half pulled back while the other half ripples down my back, looking somewhat manageable. Just a teensy bit of mascara and I am good to go. Professional because I was going to do work, and fun because I was going to a concert. Grabbing my bag which contains my pen and pad, I pat Jet goodbye and head off towards the concert.

My car pulls up at about 8:30, although they started performing at eight. I did not have to be there for the performance though, I had to be there for the interview. That is what mattered. Inside, the crowd is packed so densely I have an amazingly hard time making it through to get a better view. Screams from girls and claps from everyone erupt as the band ends their song, and I get a good look at them for the first time.

They were all wearing leather jackets, which must have been terrible in this heat. The drummer is a small man with a strangely large nose, but he has a winning smile plastered on his face. One of the three men standing is tall, very thin and bony, but I have to admit his looks were above average. One of the two left is laughing loudly and stamping his feet along with the crowd, and the last looks like he is about to start speaking into the microphone. He has an adorable, somewhat babyish quality to his face, and there is something I immediately recognize about it. He seems so familiar to me. But how?

"Thank you, thank you everyone!" the man I am trying to recognize speaks into the microphone. "That was John singing our cover of _Aint She Sweet_! This will be our last song of the evening, and I hope you all had a marvelous time coming out! Thanks so much again folks! Now, if you'd like, I'll be singing on of my favorites, _Long Tall Sally _by Little Richard!" With that, he immediately lurches into a gripping song, his voice splitting at the seams but still sounding perfect.

_I'm gonna tell Aunt Mary 'bout Uncle John_

_He said he had the misery but he got a lot of fun _

_Oh, baby, yeah now baby _

_Woo-oo-oo baby, some fun tonight, yeah_

Where do I know this man from? This is killing me. Shouldn't I be able to remember someone with a voice like that? Or maybe I am just going crazy. I think I know him, but I don't. Yes, that sounds about right. How in earth could I have ever met him? Shaking my head and telling myself to forget about it, I listened to the man belt out the rest of the song in a way that I don't think anyone else in this room could have sang.

_We're gonna have some fun tonight _

_Have some fun tonight _

_Everything's all right _

_Have some fun tonight _

_Yeah, we'll have some fun _

_Some fun tonight!_

The music stops only to meet with thunderous cheers and applause. The four men smile, wave, and bow and then exit offstage. Oh! This is when I have to go interview them now! My mind still reeling from the mysterious singer, I head backstage from the side door and explain myself to a security guard right on the other side that I am the journalist who has come to interview them. He nods and leads me, to my surprise, straight to their dressing room. "Go right in," he says in a surprisingly sweet voice for the big man that he is. Cautiously, I peer my head in and then allow the rest of my body in.

The space is nothing like in the movies. It is pretty dusty, with only two dimly lit lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling. I walk inside a little more, and see the four men sitting on two very moth bitten couches. I see the man who I could not recognize before smoking a cigarette, and up close he looks even more familiar to me. Who is he?! The drummer looks up and, noticing my presence, stands up to greet me. "'Ello there!" he said in a thick accent. "I'm Ringo, well Richard to be honest, but there's nobody who'll call me that anymore." I smile and shake his hand.

"Hello, I'm-"

But before I could state my name, someone else did for me. The man who I _know_ stood up and took the cigarette out of his mouth. His eyes widened with shock.

"Chapman? Aria _Chapman_?"

At that moment, I sharply inhaled. Everything came flooding back to me clearly.

"_Paul McCartney?_"


	2. I Saw Her Standing There

**A/N: **

**Me: Hey John, Paul, George and Ringo! I own you guys!**

**Them: B-S.**

**Me: You're right **

**Thanks to everyone who is reading! R&R pleeease!**

Chapter 2: I Saw Her Standing There

Paul's POV

_We're gonna have some fun tonight _

_Have some fun tonight _

_Everything's all right _

_Have some fun tonight _

_Yeah, we'll have some fun _

_Some fun tonight!_

The final chords rang and the audience burst into applause, screaming out our names. God, how I love the cavern. I don't suppose I'll miss it so much if our dreams ever becoming the most famous band in the world come true, but this place is like my home. It's where the four of us learned to perform like an actual band. And the people here, I don't think I'll ever love a crowd like this more. The cavern truly belonged to us now, as we to them. I feel a huge smile plant itself on my face as I bow with the band and exit off stage. Performing is one thing I can never get enough of. I see it now- even if I'm seventy and old, I'll still feel the same thrill rising from somewhere within me as I walk out onto the stage in front of people who came to here _me_.

Well, not just me, of course. Forgetting the three men around me would be like forgetting my own name: impossible. Ringo, the happy go lucky, there when you need him, always smiling drummer who could make anyone's bad day just a little bit brighter. I remember the time I was teaching Ringo a simple song on the piano that he had wanted to learn to play for some bird. The supposedly short music lesson had turned into hours and hours of sitting in my basement talking about anything and everything that came to mind. He was the one who was right beside my decision to break things off with Jane, and the only one who really understood why. Although he seems like the youngest member in the band, he always has a piece of wise brotherly advice to offer to me, and I will never forget that.

George and I grew up together, and knew each other since we were little children riding the bus to school together. His quiet demeanor immediately drew my attention as I noticed him hardly talking to anyone. That was when we befriended each other, when I sat next to him on the bus for the first time. Playing guitars together late at night, growing up together, and now being in this rising band together makes me appreciate how George has always been a constant throughout my life.

And John. I do not know where to start describing the laughing, guitar holding lad who was bowing next to me. There were too many words, too many ups and downs. John was my brother, and I could never imagine my life without him.

Exiting off the stage, I enter the little dressing room where we hang out after our gigs at the cavern. John plops down on the couch next to me and Ringo and George sit straight across from us. I pull out a cigarette, light it, and take a deep breath. Calm washes over me and I address the band.

"Good show tonight lads, I know we're going somewhere." And I mean it. We have to be going somewhere. Playing the rest of our lives at the cavern would not be the end of the Beatles, and I think that all four of us know it.

"Where are we going, fellows?" John exclaims. We all smile.

"To the top!"

"And where's that?"

"To the toppermost of the poppermost!"

"RIGHT!"

I draw another deep breath from my ciggy and puff out the smoke slowly. Yawning loudly, I start to drift off into space, thinking about Jane. Do I still love her? No. Not after what she did to me. Use me for my rising fame in Liverpool just so that she could be popular in school? I always knew that getting involved with a bird so much younger than me could lead to no good. But the surprising thing was that no one expected that from her. She is- was- such a sweetheart. Or seemingly one. But that night at the gig when I caught her making out with that duffer from her school- Robbie or Ronnie or whatever it was- that was when the whole truth came out. Everything was a lie, and apparently she loved little Ralphie. I laugh inwardly. What does _she_ know about love? She's not even done with her senior year of high school.

But then again, what do I know about love? The closest feeling I ever had to it was a long time ago, and I pushed her away. The closest thing I ever had to it hated me because of the immature eighth grade, thirteen year old Paul McCartney. The closest thing I ever had to it…

_was standing right in front of me._

I blink. My mind goes blank. I am dreaming. My ciggy is about the fall out my mouth as I stand up and go behind Ringo. Sighting confirmed. What in the world… It couldn't be her. I was just thinking about her. But, I need to know. I need to find out. When I speak, my voice expresses the amount of shock that I am keeping inside.

"_Chapman? _Aria _Chapman?_"

She looks at me, confusion in her eyes. And then concentration. And then her hazel eyes widen with realization.

She utters my name with disgust and disbelief.

I wait for her to make the next move. Her eyes go through the most emotions in one second that I have ever seen. _Birds. _Never understood them, never will. She's not like the other birds though, and I remember knowing that the first time I laid eyes on her. But almost immediately, her eyes mask anything that she might have felt in the past moments. A cold indifference is replaced, and she goes back to talking to Ringo.

"Yes, so I am here to interview you four! _The Liverpool Journal_ wants to do a front page special on you four and I'm the one assigned to write it." She looks proud as she states the last part. I wonder what the story behind this article is- it must be incredibly important to her if she is going to put up with me for even one second to write it. My mind flashes back to the previous years as I mentally punch myself for being such a two faced arse to her. And now she is back in my life- looking as beautiful as ever I might add. The same brown, untamable hair, the same smile plastered on her face, and the same perfect white teeth. I chuckle to myself. How can I ever forget those teeth?

"We're going to be on the _front page _of the _Liverpool Journal_?" George exclaims. "Guys, we must be making some sort of big break after all!"

John ruffles his long hair. "What'd I tell yeh, Georgie, we're going to the toppermost of the poppermost!" Though he says it with the voice of a parent talking to a two year old, I sense that John is excited about the coverage, too. As am I! But right now, I need to do something about the past that just walked right back into my life. What in the world am I supposed to say to her, though? She will never want to hear me speak, unless of course, it's for her article. I smile. _Unless, of course, it's for her article._

John's POV

"_Chapman? _Aria _Chapman?_"

"_Paul McCartney?"_

I look up towards a conversation that seems to be getting very, very interesting. Wait, since when was this bird in here? I eye her wearily to see what she's up to, but in about a second, she forgets she was ever addressing my mate and turns back to taking to Ringo. Something about the front page article of the newspaper. I shoot Paul a raised eyebrow in question, but he seems too absorbed in his thoughts. Paul is never one to be absorbed in his thoughts. I chuckle. This bird here must have some history with him.

The bird in herself was not indecent. Pretty damn attractive, if I say so myself. Nice tits, much better than Cyn's atleast. After having Julian, she's been a drag in bed anyways. Her eyes fit nicely on her face, and she has a sort of innocent look about her. Like she has no idea that she's actually a looker. The smile she gives Ringo and George when they express interest in the article matches their goofy enthusiasm for anything fun, except why does she consider writing an article fun? This bird needs to get out more often, I think. Have some fun. Make some mistakes. Live a little, if she was up to it. I wouldn't mind having a go with her, maybe even a bit more. But looking back to the witless wonder Paul over here, who is still staring straight at her after she openly ignored him, I figure it's best to see what the deal is with him and her before getting into anything. Wouldn't want to get his knickers in a twist, especially right after Jane and all that shite went down. Being married does have its benefits when it comes to these kinds of things: no one is ever trying to have a serious relationship just to get something out of me. Not that I would ever let anything get to the serious relationship stage with any of these birds anyways.

"So, shall we get started?" the bird says. Aria, right. That's her name, Paul screamed it out for the whole world to hear not too many moments ago. I feel a tap on my shoulder and look up to see Paul's frantic face. I sigh.

"Whataya want, Paul?"

"Don't ask why, I'll explain later. I just need you to get this interview moved to tomorrow at the coffee shop. Just do it, mate."

"What in Christ's sake? Why?"

Paul gives me his "please help or I might kill you with your own guitar" look. I huff like the moody child I am trying to be and get ready to politely cause a scene. "You got some explainin' to do, McCartney."

With that, I stand up and walk my way over to the bird. I slip my arm around her tiny waist. "Aria! How nice it is to see you! You see, the thing is right now we are very, very busy, so why don't you just run along home?"

Aria starts sputtering as I ease her towards the door. "What? No, this was the article that's supposed to give me my big break! I need this!"

"Maybe some other time, dear. How bout tomorrow at the coffee shop across the street?"

The bird makes an indignant stand at the door, refusing to be pushed any further. "Excuse me Mr.-"

"John Lennon, how'd you do?"

"Mr._ Lennon_, I did not come all the way here tonight just to be told that I'm going to have to come here again! This is my job and you've got to respect that, right?"

I pretend to look deep in thought for a moment. "Nope."

A furious look crossed her face as she starts to go off on another tangent. I interrupt immediately, laughing to myself. Though this is completely uncalled for, it was, in it's own way, extremely entertaining. "Tomorrow at 9:30, coffee house! I'll miss you, love!" With that I slam the door in the bird's face.

I walk back over to the couch and light a ciggy. George and Ringo just looked utterly confused. I chuckle loudly as I kick off my sodding shoes. "Now, Mr. McCartney, I believe you have some explaining to do. Just who the _fuck_ is that bird?"


	3. I've Just Seen a Face

**A/N:**

**Hope you guys are enjoying the story so far! I know that I am definitely having fun writing it! So…tada! In this chapter you finally get to find out what happened all those years ago between Aria and Paul…or at least the start of it…;) Don't hate me!**

**IMPORTANT: In the last chapter, I wrote "because of what the immature, thirteen year old, eighth grade Paul McCartney did" but I've decided to change it to the FIFTEEN year old NINTH GRADE Paul McCartney because it just seems more fitting. Thanks loves!**

**Oh and I know that Liverpool High School doesn't **

**Disclaimer: I **_**wish**_** I owned the Beatles…a girl can dream, right?**

_**Chapter 3: I've Just Seen a Face**_

_Aria's POV_

Paul McCartney. Paul McCartney. Paul McCartney. Paul _fucking _McCartney. God just could not be happy for me for once, right? I finally get the biggest break of my life, the big break I have been working so hard to get to, and now this? I swore that I would never ever see his face again after I moved away, but I should have known. There would be some point where I would run into him coming back to Liverpool. Frustration builds up inside of me as I stare at the door that was just slammed in my face. And oh, that John Lennon. That one is a piece of work. Preparing myself to get this interview whatever the cost may be, I put my hand up to knock as loudly as I can. But as I am about to knock, I stop myself. What is the point of this? I'm not going to show them just how desperate I am to get this interview. If they cannot respect that this is a part of my _job_, my _work_, my _life_, then why even bother with them? I was right about them in every way when I was thinking about them this morning: stuck up snobs who don't give one cent about anyone else and the work they might have to go through. Heck, I already knew that about one of them even before I met the rest! Paul McCartney! I still cannot believe that this is happening! There is no way I am going to meet them tomorrow night at the coffee shop, if they think I'm coming because that's when _they _can meet than they are utterly wrong.

Huffing, I turn and start to walk outside. I am almost outside when I hear a voice behind me.

"You know, those lads seem all full of themselves at first, but once you get to know them, they're real nice."

Who is talking to me? I turn around and am met face to face with the security man who let me backstage. I am guessing he saw the whole slamming of the door debacle, and the emotions present on my face right now. As if reading my mind, he states, "Yes, good ole Johnny can act really snotty and downright mean, and I wouldn't 'spect you to believe me considering he just slammed a door in your face and all, but he's a real nice lad, he is. Always lookin' out for his friends, he is."

Well, this is news to me. Not that it really changes my opinion of him at all. I scoff. "Really? Well what about Mr. McCartney?" I can barely say the name without spitting it out. All these years later, I finally learned to move on from what happened when we were both kids. I didn't figure that I'd see him ever again, though.

The security man looks a little puzzled. "Well ma'am, these lads here have been playing at the cavern for quite some time, and I've gotten to know them real well over the past couple of years. Paul is just about one of the nicest guys I know, at least to the ladies he is. He'd never do nothing to be mean to you, I'm sure of it!" He looks sure of it, too. I frown. Yes, Paul could be the real charmer back in the days too with all the other girls. I'm sure he still hasn't lost his so-called puppy dog personality that made him the most popular guy in our school. But I knew- and still know- much more about what kind of person he really is.

I raise my eyebrows. "Then you don't know him as well as you think you do." I turned around and continue the journey to my car.

_Paul's POV_

"Now, Mr. McCartney, I believe you have some explaining to do. Just who the _fuck_ is that bird?"

I sigh and look around to see three expectant faces waiting for me to spill everything about the weird happenings that had just taken place.

"Yeah, Paul. How'd you know her name and all?" Ringo asks curiously.

"And she didn't look too thrilled to see you, if I'm right." George adds.

I scratch the back of my neck and contemplate where to start this. Should I even tell them? No one really knows what actually happened. Well except for me…and her. I shake my head, no wonder she hates me. What I did back then was just completely uncalled for, and I need to make her see that I would never ever do that to anyone again.

"Okay, Paul, if you aint gonna talk about the past then tell me why you had me push the bird out. It was entertaining though." That earns him a small chuckle from George and a good-natured "when will you grow up" look from Ringo.

"Well, you see mates, I know she's not going to be talking to me anytime soon if I simply try and just talk to her. But if we go for the interview tomorrow, and we go one by one, you know what I mean? She won't have a choice! She'll have to listen to what I have to say."

"Ay, mate," Ringo begins. "What makes you think she'll stick around to listen to you? After what happened here, I'd be surprised if she even shows up."

"But she will. If I still know anything about this girl, she'll definitely show up tomorrow. This thing she was writing seemed way too important to her when she brought it up." The other three look back at me with hesitation. "Trust me."

"Paul, I'm dying over here with suspense!" John exclaims in a high pitched voice. "I've been a good lad today, a very very good lad, doing everything that old mean Paulie asks him to do! Johnny would really like it if Paul could tell him a little story." He stuck his lower lip out in a huge pout and said, "Pwetty pwetty pwease, Paulie." Ringo, George and I laugh, used to John's antics by now.

"Alright, alright, fine mates."

_**(Flashback)**_

_ The bell rang loudly as I slid into the chair next to my good old mate, Charlie. All the way at the back of the classroom, of course. No one ever sat back here on the first day of school. What a bore. I could be off with George playing guitar near the lake and what not, but no. "Summer's over," my mum had said this morning. "Time to get back to reality." But I really didn't want to. What was the point of school anyway? And George was an entire year behind me, so I would barely see him anymore. _

_ "Hey there, Paul," Charlie greeted. "How's your summer been?" We both chuckled at that. Besides when I spent time with George, I was with Charlie almost every single second. We had had some adventures this summer alright. My eyes twinkled as I remembered the party that Lucy had thrown, and where Dot and I had first met. Charlie and I had both decided that that night was going to be the night that would change the rest of their summers- speaking in a way referring to girls, of course. Charlie set his eye on Lucy, and they were still going steady three months later, which was a huge surprise to me. Of course, if Dot hadn't only been visiting her cousin Lucy for the summer and had had to go back to America, then they could've been more… I sighed. It was just a summer fling, and after all, I was the one who broke things off with her so what was the point of bothering with it? I was never even sure that we had real feelings for each other. We just enjoyed each other's company and a little more, that was all._

"Ah, good ole Dot. Hey, remember when she came back two years back? Not so nice was she then, right Paul?" George chuckles. I scowl and continue with the story, not wanting to remember how annoyingly peppy and fake she had become.

_ "Well, you know, mate. Nothing special." I smiled at my friend and asked him about Lucy, whom Charlie only had one class with. I nodded and talked, hoping against hope that English class would not begin soon. Ninth grade was going to be such a drag. _

_ Mrs. Cunningham walked into the classroom with the clickety-clack of her heel and introduced herself to the class. I, of course, already knew her, as did Charlie. Mrs. Cunningham was the head of discipline in this school, and both Charlie and I have been too her office more than enough times. As she eyes us in the back of the classroom, she tiredly asked, "And you two boys will behave yourself back there, I'm assuming, Mr. McCartney and Mr. Winthrop?" _

_ "Yes, of course, ma'am."_

_ "Good."_

_ Mrs. Cunningham went down the names of the students in the class and I already began to get bored. "Hmph. It seems as though we have one student missing-"_

_ A girl burst through the front door of the classroom, shouting immediately as she walked into the room. "I'm here, I'm here! Sorry I'm late, I've never been to this school and it's my first time here and-" The girl stopped immediately, probably realizing that she was making a fool out of herself. _

"Ta-da! The grand entrance!" John shouts.

_ "It's quite alright, dear, I know this building can be very confusing if you're new to it. Welcome to Liverpool High School!" Mrs. Cunningham said with a warm smile. Wait. Mrs. _Cunningham _with a _warm smile_? What in the world. I looked over to Charlie and he shrugged. Weird. She'd never been this nice to us. _

_ "Now, you must be Aria Chapman, am I correct?"_

_ The girl smiled and nodded her head. That was when I got a good look at her for the first time. Frizzy, curly hair exploded out of her head and traveled down the length of her back, though the front half was pulled back in a connecting braid so it looked manageable and…nice. I scoffed. Why in the world was I thinking about a girl's hair? I kept looking at her though, and noticed her short stature. Much shorter than me, at least. She wore a blue shirt and a skirt that hung modestly around her knees. And when she turned her eyes to look at me, and I looked back into the pools of warm light brown, I knew that something had just happened to me. I couldn't explain it. But I knew it felt really, _really _weird. I sent her a smile which most likely ended up looking like a smirk, and she turned away. I only caught bits and pieces of what Mrs. Cunningham was saying to her. _

_ "Well…seats are taken….empty in the back…in front of those two boys…"_

_ I watched her as she walked back towards the desk in front of me. She walked with confidence and air, like she knew that she was new here but she didn't really care what anyone thought. She could go far, this one. I could already tell. As she sat down, I caught her eye again. _

_ "Now class, I know that you lot have all been together since the first grade, but we can always make room for new students, right? I hope you all join me in welcoming our newest addition to the ninth grade class of Liverpool High, Aria Chapman." A chorus of bright and bubbly "Hi, Aria!"s echoed throughout the room. Without even thinking of what I was doing, I tapped the blue clad shoulder. Brown hair brushed against my finger as she turned her head to look back at me. _

_ "Hi Aria, I'm James. But everyone calls me Paul, my middle name and everything, since my dad's name is also James." Why did I just tell her my whole god-damn life story? _

_ She smiled back at me. I swear, I could stare at that face all day long and still not get bored. I shook my head. What in god's name was happening to me? "Nice to meet you, Paul." And with that she turned around and concentrated on the beginning of class. _

_ I looked to my right and Charlie wiggled his eyebrows at me. "Oh, shut it," I whispered with the smallest hint of a smile. _

Ringo gasps. "Wait…wait…you fell in love with her didn't you?"

"Ringo, do you want to hear the story or not?"

"Alright…god, someone's touchy today."

**A/N: Sorry for leaving it on a cliffhanger! Hehe, I meant to do that. But I can promise you that the next chapter will be up sometime today! And the story of those two will continue, oh and would you mind reviewing and telling me how the length of my chapters are? I was wondering if they were tooo short, if you know what I mean. Thanks all!**


	4. Help!

**A/N: This story wants to just get itself down! I should be doing summer reading and what not…but this is just sooo much more fun!:) **

**Oh and keep in mind that Paul did write Follow the Sun many, many years before the Quarrymen were even formed, so just go with it!**

**IT'S A LOOOOOOONG CHAPTER. Too long for my liking but I couldn't keep postponing the big reveal. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I. Do. Not. Own. The. Beatles. :/**

_**Chapter 4: Help!**_

_Paul's POV_

"Alright…god, someone's touchy today."

Goddammit, Ringo. "So, as I was saying…"

_**(Flashback)**_

_ I frowned, slumping over my desk and watching the snow flakes fall peacefully to the ground. Three months- three whole _months_- had passed since the first day of school. Three whole months had also passed since the first and last time I even said a word to Aria. That stupid rant about how everyone called me Paul probably made her think I was some kind of freak. Was it my hair? Too much gel? I shook my head. Who am I? _James Paul McCartney_, that's my name. And James Paul McCartney can charm the birds off of the trees. Getting one bird that was already on the ground couldn't be that hard. But how am I supposed to do it? She wasn't just another bird. I noticed her in class. She was smart, yet funny. Hardworking, yet she knew how to relax, if only a little. All the girls in the class immediately grew to love her, and she was nice to all of them- even the ones I wouldn't be able to stand if I was a girl. _

_I glanced across the room to see her sitting next to the girl who she now always sits next to. Alexis Camilla England- Ace for short. No doubt she's told Aria all these terrible things about me. Like that whole thing about me "leading her on" or some bullshit and then leaving her. I never lead her on, I genuinely did like her. She was my first kiss, after all. But, as Charlie always said, "When the birds start to cling and you don't want them to, it's time to let them fly." So that's what I did. And she's hated me since then. Aria befriending Ace was in no way a helpful situation in my mission to… to at least get to know the girl. I burrowed my head in my arms even deeper, sighing even more dejectedly. Why did I even want to know her? I just could not get her out of my head- it was literally impossible. And I couldn't just take my guitar up to her in the middle of class and sing her a song, could I? So how in the world was I supposed to talk to her? I never had these problems before- all the girls just came up to me. _

_Mrs. Cunningham walked in. Here comes another hour of torture. I looked at the _Romeo and Juliet _in my desk and wish it would just burn up into a million pieces. Charlie nudged me with his elbow. "Hey, sunshine, could you look a little more sad? I think the room is going blind from your happiness." I scowled at him in return. "Hey, mate, listen. You like the girl? It's not like she's going to take one look at you and bite you, she seems nice enough. Just talk to her or _something_, you know? These last few months have been-" But he was interrupted by Mrs. Cunningham. She stood in front of her desk, looking all important and official and what not. "Now class, as winter break is soon starting, your finals are coming up in the next few weeks. It's time to start discussing your final exams for English."_

_The whole class groaned, especially me. I noticed that even Aria went from animatedly talking with Ace to possessing the smallest of frowns. "As you know, we have just finished reading Romeo and Juliet. As expected, the final exam will be entirely based around this book, but unexpectedly, your final will not be a sit down exam as per usual." The whole class glanced around the room excitedly. One less three hour test to sit through? Thank God! But what was the catch? What was the actual exam? "The final exam this year will be a thesis essay. You will have to come up with a claim about this book and write an extensive paper supporting your thesis."_

_A hand shout up into the air. "Mrs. Cunningham, how many pages are we looking at?"_

"_Ah, I knew that question would come up immediately, you have not failed me! At least, may I repeat, _at least _ten pages. If you want passing marks with no real recognition."_

"Ouch, mate. Ten page papers are always the bitch," John stated seriously.

_Ten pages? I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I, along with most of the class, had a tough time trying to scribble out a two page essay! What in the hell was I supposed to write about for ten whole pages? And on Romeo and Juliet! It was such a pointless waste of a story. All the adults he had ever met always went "Ah Romeo and Juliet, such an amazing story! One of the best ever written! Heartbreakingly romantic!" But it was just a load of bull. This guy kills this guy, she looks dead, he kills himself __**without even trying to wake her up**__, she kills herself. Curtin call, everyone. See, if we had done this report on _Lord of the _Rings, that would've been interesting. But I'm stuck with some play about a weird mass murder thing. I already knew it. I was going to fail out of ninth grade English._

"_Now, I know most of you are currently contemplating just dropping out of high school when you hear this." Wow. You really are the smartest as they come, aren't you? "This is why you have three entire weeks to work on this and… a partner." _

_The classroom immediately came to life. People began yelling across the room to their friends. "You're my partner!" "Yes, this will be amazing!" "No! I wanted to work with her!" Even I nudged Charlie and we exchanged a head nod. Good. I can trust Charlie with this. _

"_Now class, I have already assigned you partners. You will accept them gracefully like the mature people I know you are. You will also be sitting next them for the rest of the term so you can more easily be working together, as this final is also given one day a week to work on it in class. The rest is up to you, before school, after school, whenever."_

_The room fell dead silent. Great, Mrs. Cunningbitch. You really know how to win over fifteen year old hearts, don't you? What if I end up with Ace? God that would be dreadful. Or worse, Stephen, who is always picking his nose? Or Nathaniel, who tries even _less _than I do in class, if that's even humanly possible? I listened closely as Mrs. Cunningham read out the list of partners. Third down was "Ace and Stephen." I almost died trying to keep my laughter inside after I heard that, the way Ace's nose flared as she went to go sit down next to him. Charlie was paired up with Walter, one of the quieter boys in the class. He was incredibly smart though. Charlie got really lucky, and he knew it. The list started to come towards the end, until there were only two uncalled names left. I already knew it. I had been paying attention the entire time, and the name I had been waiting for had not been called. My partner was…_

"_Aria and Paul."_

"HA! I knew it!" shouted George. "Ringo, pay up." Gloomily, Ringo passed George a small sum of money. "Continue, Paul."

_I ventured across the room to the pair of desks two rows from the front. And who else was sitting in it but Aria Chapman herself. I looked back at Charlie and he smirked, mouthing, "Get it." As I slid into my allotted seat, she greeted me with a small smile. _

"_Hi, Paul." My stomach did a backflip and I smiled. This was right where I wanted to be. This was the chance I had to get to get to know her, and now I would. Everything is going to go perfectly from here. Turn on the McCartney charm, get rid of the "My dad's name is James and that's why I'm Paul" Paul, and get the girl. And she wasn't just any other girl. I knew I needed to have her, but the strangest thing was I had no idea why._

"_Hello, Aria." _

_**Aria's POV**_

I reached my small apartment hours ago. The lights are all off. Jet is somewhere snoring. My watch read two a.m. some time back, and I am exhausted. I just cannot fall asleep, and I know why. But why should he keep me up at night? God knows he kept me up too many nights for this to be starting all over again. But I cannot get him- what he did- out of my mind. I don't want to remember. I don't want to bring back the disgust, hurt, and worst of all, that single moment of fear. We were both just fifteen. Fifteen. It seems such an innocent age to others, but of course, it isn't. Fifteen is when one finally breaks free of everything and lives the crazy life they want to live. Because I can't hold them out any longer, I close my eyes and bring back the memories of ninth grade year.

_**(Flashback)**_

_ "Aria and Paul." I sighed. Just my luck. But as he slid into the seat next to me, I resolved that whatever Ace said about him was her own issue- I had to be in constant contact with him for the next month and I couldn't just let what happened between him and Ace ruin it! This was my grade, and the way I get my grade, on the line here. Surprisingly, a friendly smile wasn't hard to find and we said hello to each other. Maybe the next month wasn't going to bad, after all. _

_ I walked inside _Melrose's _and was immediately intoxicated by the warm smell of coffee and the heat of the small, quaint shop around me. Walking to the table where I had sat yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that, I already saw a familiar face. I slid into the chair on the other side of the small café table, taking off my winter coat and setting down my bag, which contained all my papers and other related work. "Hi, Paul," I said breathlessly, my voice still cold from the freezing temperature outside. I had been meeting Paul here everyday after school since the assignment had first come out, and while we got a good amount done, we also spent a lot of time not doing work. These 'work sessions' usually went on for about two hours each day. I found myself starting to become more and more comfortable with the boy who was the first one to say hi to me when I came to this school months ago. _

_ "Hey, Aria, I already ordered your hot chocolate if you don't mind, because I know you always have that." He waved to the big mug of brown liquid covered in whipped cream sitting on a quaint little saucer. How nice of him!_

_ "Thank you, Paul!"_

_ He waved the acknowledgement away with his hand, saying "It's no big deal. So, what are we planning to work on today?"_

_ I had developed a pretty decent tactic to keeping us on track and not get behind on our long term goal. Everyday when Paul would ask what we had to get done that day, I would say what we actually had to get done and then add some more, knowing that Paul would start to become less and less concentrated as we made our way down the list until we didn't finish the list at all. For the past week, it's been working out pretty well. We're right where we need to be to get this paper done in time, and get a good grade on it!_

_ I filled him in and we soon began to get straight to work, entering the world of Romeo and Juliet (which I already knew Paul hated)._

_**1 hour later**_

_ "It's snowing!" I exclaimed. "Paul, look!"_

_ The snow never ceased to amaze me. The magic it brought to the city of Liverpool, or anywhere it touched, matched nothing else. My eyes were glued to the window, watching the big fat snowflakes fall into a blanket of billions and billions of them. Pure magic._

_ "It's so beautiful," I whispered._

_ "Yeah," came a half-hearted response._

_ "Wait," I said, turning to him. "You don't like the snow?"_

_ A slight grimace spread across Paul's features. I couldn't believe it! How could someone not like the snow? "Well, its not that I don't like the snow, you know. It's just that I don't like winter in general. Never did. It's all cold and you need to bundle your whole body up every time you step outside just so you don't freeze your bum off! And then the snow'll get inside your jacket and pants and you'll get even more cold __**and **__now you're also wet!" _

_ I raised my eyebrows and smiled. "You are such a pansy."_

_ Paul huffed indignantly. "Am not!"_

_ "Are too!"_

_ "Hey, just because I like summer better doesn't mean I'm a pansy! It's just that the sun is so much better than everything, you know what I mean? Like warm. And just…I don't know. I am talking like a pansy right now!" _

_ I shook my head. "I was just kidding! Hey, I love summer too, there's nothing like it."_

_ "I know. Ikindawroteasongboutit."_

_ "Sorry? I didn't catch that."_

_ Paul took a deep breath. He seemed to be contemplating his next words, or whether he wanted to say them. Nodding to himself, he said "I kinda wrote a song about it."_

_ A song? Paul McCartney? Music writing definitely isn't the first thing that came to my mind when I thought about things that Paul McCartney would be doing in his free time. I don't know why I got that idea. It's just that, well, he had the habits of a slacker. We both knew that I was the one who was doing this entire project, and Paul was just helping out where he could. Sometimes it really got me mad, but I knew he was trying to do the best to contribute so I never said anything. I don't know how in my mind that connected to him song writing but I guess it did. _

_ "Can I hear it? That is, if you don't mind."_

_ Paul thought for a moment. "I need my guitar, though."_

_**Half an hour later**_

_ "Welcome to the McCartney residence. You can sit right there, I'll be right back."_

_ I stepped inside an extremely cozy home. The fireplace was lit, giving the foyer and sitting area an earthy feel. The deep red and brown décor looked brilliant and made the house seem way before its time. I walked towards the sitting area and perched myself on the edge of the most comfortable couch I had ever sat on. Waiting for Paul to come down, I saw little pictures on frames above the fireplace. A baby between a man and a woman. Paul looked so adorable when he was a baby! As I went down the frames, Paul's life in pictures stared back at me. Paul taking his first steps, Paul riding a bike, Paul getting on a schoolbus, Paul holding a guitar…_

_ Footsteps echoed down the staircase and Paul came down holding a gorgeous guitar. He sat down across from me nervously and I smiled. He cleared his throat. "Just to let you know, I've never shown anyone anything I've ever written before." _

_ "I'm honored."_

_ With that, he began to sing._

_One day, you'll look_

_To see I've gone_

_But tomorrow may rain, so_

_I'll follow the sun_

_One day, you'll know_

_I was the one_

_But tomorrow may rain, so_

_I'll follow the sun_

_And now the time has come_

_And so, my love, I must go_

_And though I lose a friend_

_In the end you will know_

_Oh-oh-oh_

_One day, you'll find_

_That I have gone_

_But tomorrow may rain, so_

_I'll follow the sun_

_ He continued to sing the song and I was breathless. His voice, where did it come from? It was beautiful, whole-rounded, just purely indescribable. I stopped my thought process and simply let the beauty of his words and voice wash over me. _

_ The final guitar chords rang and he looked up at me. "Paul," I started, not knowing how to express what I was thinking. "You really have a gift. You really do."_

_ "I do?"_

_ "You're going places, Paul. I know you are."_

I still believe in my words. When I heard him sing tonight, that voice was still as mesmerizing as it was all those years ago, in a whole different way. He is climbing to the top and no one is going to stop him.

_**Paul's POV**_

"This bird was the first person you ever showed a song to?" John asked curiously. I nod. I don't tell them that it was her words of praise that motivated me to be something more than a closet musician. After she heard them, I showed the songs I had written to a few other people and my dream of becoming a musician began to take shape. Because of this, I owe her everything.

"I still don't see why she hates you," Ringo states.

I sigh. "Don't worry, Rings. We're almost there.

_**(Flashback)**_

_ The paper was due in two days, and anyone could see the constant stress building on Aria's face. I, unfortunately, was the one who had to deal with it._

_ "We're so far behind, Paul! We still have to write the final paragraph, the conclusion, __**and **__put the entire essay together by rewriting it!" She clawed through the huge piles of paper that had her (and mine, but mostly her) handwriting all over it, spread out all over the table in her kitchen. "We're going to fail, Paul!"_

_ "Aria."_

_ She didn't listen. She kept going through the papers frantically. I could almost see the steam coming out from her ears. I had to stop this. She needed to relax- didn't she know that she had put too much hard work into this to not finish it on time? And I swore to God that I'd do as much work that I could possibly do to help her get this done. Time to shut the slacker off and bring out the marathon runner._

_ "Aria! Listen to me!" _

_ Jumping at my yell, she stopped and looked up at me, with the same crazy look in her eyes. _

_ I think I love her. _

_ What? I pushed that thought out of my mind and focused on the task at hand. Emotions for later. Of course, the emotions__** would**__ come later. I could see it in Aria's eyes too- she wanted me just as much as I wanted her. And there would be time. Lots and lots of time to figure that out. Just not this second. I had to keep my control for just a little while longer, no matter how hard that was proving to me. God knew that an entire month of sitting across the coffee table from her and talking for hours was just driving me insane. _

_ "Listen, take a deep breath and close your eyes."_

_ Reluctantly, she listened. I started to talk to her, taking in her face as it slowly relaxed and erased away all the pent up tension. "We're going to finish this paper. I know we can. Just like you said that I'm going places, well I know for a fact that you're too strong to let all of this get to you now. I know that you're going to finish this paper and do amazingly well on it, and I'm going to help you as much as I possibly can. I promise."_

_ Aria opened her eyes and immediately got to work. But this time she was calm. I smiled._

_**4 Hours Later **_

_"C'mon, mate, it's a Saturday night! Live a little!" Charlie was standing at my doorway, practically begging him to come to a party with him. It was hosted by one of the eleventh graders: the party of the year. Drinks and girls and everything one could possibly imagine. I wanted to go, I wanted to go so badly._

_ "Listen, Charlie. I'm meeting Aria tomorrow morning. And then the paper is going to be to the following day! She's already going absolutely up the wall, and if I-"_

_ "Aria this, Aria that. Look, I get it, she's pretty and sweet and all that but the past month __**all you do is work, work, work **__with little miss perfect! You haven't gone to a party __**once **__in who knows how long? Don't turn in to her little bitch, Paul. C'mon, get your jacket and let's go."_

_ I was at a mental war. Charlie was right. But I couldn't leave Aria to work on this by herself. It means too much to her. I checked the time. 9pm. _

_ "Listen, just for a little while, I have to be back home-"_

_ "YES! Let's go, mate!"_

_ I heard the party before I saw it. Stepping into the house, it was a teenager's dream come true. A true Liverpool party. Charlie disappeared and came back shortly with two cups brimming with beer. Handing one to me, he laughed and yelled, "Bottoms up!"_

"Bad choice, McCartney, bad choice." John states plainly. I look at him and nod.

_ I woke up to the worst pain in the entire world. Where the fuck was I? I looked around and was met by a completely trashed house with teenagers and empty cups lying __**everywhere. **__What the heck had happened last night? I closed my eyes and tried to take away some of the pounding pain. And why did my lips feel all funny? Looking into a hallway mirror, I tried to see if that was actually me staring back. It was. It was the look that just screamed '__**I JUST MADE OUT WITH SOMEONE AT A PARTY WHILE I WAS DRUNK AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENED**__'. My hair was flying in every which direction, my cheeks were pinched bright red, and my lips looked as swollen as they'll ever get. Fuck. How was I going to get away with this one with my parents? I checked my watch. My eyes literally popped out of my head. 6:30pm? Just how crazy was this party? Looking around, I saw Charlie slumped in the corner. Stupid idiot._

_ "Mate, wake up."_

_ Charlie made an incomprehensible noise. "CHARLIE. GET UP." I smacked his chest, not hard enough to hurt, but definitely hard enough to wake him._

_ "Imupimupimup," he muttered, wincing from the pain that I was still reeling from. "Whattimeisit."_

_ "About 6:30 in the evening. Let's go home."_

_ "Didya gotoyer thing with Aria?" _

_ Aria. Fuck. Fuck. Triple Fuck. I was supposed to meet her at nine in the morning. I took off at a full sprint. _

_ By the time I reached Aria's house, my mind was splitting at the seams from pain. I knocked on the door once, and it opened. There stood the most beautiful girl I had ever laid eyes on. I stood up fully, stopped heaving, and was prepared to apologize. _

_ Aria turned her head and observed what was going on behind her in the house. Stepping out of the house, she closed the door behind her. She hadn't directly looked at me once, but she didn't seem too angry. _

This time I am interrupting my own story. "Keep in mind, mates, I was still experiencing the worst hangover of my life. I wasn't thinking straight, you know how bad those are. Especially if you get right up and go for running for a few kilometers." The lads give me nods of understanding. "Well here we go then."

_She walked right past me and started to walk down the street. Not knowing what to do, I followed behind her, walking in her footsteps. We walked like that for who knows how long. I was just waiting for her to stop. We approached a familiar sight. The lake. She walked down the pier stretching over the rippling water. And stopped. _

_ Aria turned at looked at me with those big brown eyes of hers. "What do you want?" she asked me point blank. I looked down at my feet, noticing that my right and left shoe were on the opposite feet. _

_ "Um…well. You see-"_

_ "Come to tell me that something happened? Were you out having a marvelous time?" At this, I opened my mouth to argue, but she kept going. Her voice was raising higher and higher as she spoke. "Save it, Paul. Ace stopped by this morning. Didn't think she was at the party too, did you? Well she was. And I'm glad to know that you had a wonderful time getting unbelievably drunk and sticking your tongue down Marcielle's throat the entire night. You know, when we were first paired together, I had my doubts about you. I really did. I decided to leave them behind though, because what good would that prejudice do to either of us? And we became friends, and I thought you knew how much this meant to me, Paul! Although you barely did anything, __**ever**_**, **_on the paper of course! Leave it up to the girl, that's what she's there for right? To write your bloody paper and get an A! But you didn't and still don't care! And you never have cared for anyone but yourself! Ace tells you that she loves you- that she __**loves you**_- _and what do you do? You leave her crying on your doorstep! And __**then **__you have the gall to flaunt Dot around her for the entire summer- right up in her face! On __**purpose!**__ She told me she went to sleep crying so many times because of what you put her through. And I knew all of this, Paul! But I decided to leave it behind and-"_

_ I didn't need to deal with Ace sob stories right now. Here was the girl I loved- and she loved me too, goddammit!- telling me off about someone who means nothing to me anymore? "Don't start lecturing me about __**Ace **__of all people, please. You know what this is really about, Aria. And don't try to hide it any longer." _

_ A confused look entered her eyes. "Paul, this is about me trusting-"_

_ The self restraint I had been holding in the entire month broke. I took a giant stride towards her, gathered her in my arms, and claimed her lips for my own._

_**Aria's POV**_

___"Don't start lecturing me about __**Ace **__of all people, please. You know what this is really about, Aria. And don't try to hide it any longer." _

_ What in god's name was he talking about? What this was really about? This was about me trusting him. I felt like I could trust him. And trust was a big thing for me, goddammit! After everything that had happened with my family, I didn't know who in the world I could depend on anymore! And then Paul came along and I thought…I thought he would be there for me._

_ "Paul this is about me trusting-"_

_ What happened next was something I would never ever be able to forget. _

_ Lips closed over my mouth before I could say the word 'you'. Paul's lips. I couldn't feel anything. I went into a deep shock, numbing me down to the core. As he brought me in closer and I felt my body pressed against his, my senses returned to me. _

_ "Paul!" I screamed into his mouth. I turned my head to the side and tried to step back away from him, but he was holding me pressed against him. "Paul, __**stop it! Paul!" **__But his lips had found mine again in another bruising kiss. It hurt. It hurt so much. My heart tore in two as I pushed away frantically in search of freedom. I felt one of his hands slid over my stomach and beneath the fold of my shirt, and I screamed once again "Help! Paul, please!" There was no sign that he even heard me. Hot tears poured down as I lifted my knee up straight to his groin and used my other foot to stomp hard on his foot. His lips and body left mine as I watched him double over in pain. _

_ "What…the __**fuck**__, Aria?"_

_ Tears still streaming down my face, I slapped him across the face as hard as I could muster. Turning, I ran home. _

_**Paul's POV**_

I stare at my mates around me. George's mouth is open in disbelief, Ringo has a sad look in his eyes, and John is just giving me the typical Lennon stare. I sigh loudly and bury my face in my hands.

"I didn't even know something was wrong until she slapped me. Why, **WHY**, was I such a fucking idiot?"

I stand up and stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind me.

**A/N: So, yeah. I really don't like it either, trust me. This whole story line does **_**not **_**reflect the kind of things I do/think/see in anyway, and I really don't like writing about it. I hope no one gets offended and I hope you all continue to keep reading :/**


	5. And I Love Her

**A/N: I hope you guys are still interested in the story! And believe me, Paul McCartney is my favorite Beatles and I **_**know **_**that that would never happen in real life…it's just a story!:) **

**One more short flashback in this story and then they're done! (I think…;)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned the Beatles…sigh. I DON'T. **

_**Chapter 5: And I Love Her**_

_Aria's POV_

Hearing Paul sing tonight and seeing him again is a jolt back to reality. Is that why I left my home in America? To come here and prove something to myself? That I could be more than just a _girl_, something more than just something that someone focus their affections on and expect something in return? Yes. I think so. And I'm glad to say that I have done that in every which way possible. I have a good life, and I made it for myself.

My parents' divorce came at a good time: That night happened when Paul kissed me, we handed in the paper the following morning, and we went on winter break that afternoon. Over break, I was shipped to New Jersey, America to live with my dad and restarted my life there. I disappeared out of his life fully and completely. I was not running away from him at all. It was not my choice to leave that high school and him behind, but when the news was delivered to me that I was moving, I gladly accepted it as a sign of release. A chance to restart. But I missed the city I grew up in too much. Liverpool was my home. And it called me back.

I honestly had no idea that I would run into him here. I wasn't even thinking about him. But tonight… Everything just came flooding back. All the broken trust, the hurt, everything. And when he said my name, well did I expect myself to do? What did _he _expect me to do? Run into his arms and tell him how much I missed him?

And then this whole debacle with postponing the interview. They can't just do that! Who do they think they are? I'm not going to…

But this is my big break. This is the one chance I'll get to prove to everyone I work with that I'm not just some girl who got in because she was lucky. But I still have to maintain my self respect, don't I? I can't just go crawling back to them, begging them for an interview!

My watch reads 3:30am. I'm glad to see he is doing well with his music.

_Paul's POV_

I am a disgusting rat, that's what I am. _Was_. I was one. I would never do that to anyone. I didn't even realize I was doing it! How could I be such an idiot? Why did I have to go get myself drunk to hell and back? I storm down the hallway and near the back entrance.

"Something's troublin' you, Mr. McCartney?"

I whipped around to see Stan, the cavern security guard. I relax immediately. Stan has known the boys and I for a while. Kind of like an uncle to us, speaking truthfully.

"Just some things, Stan. Just some things."

"Well, Mr. McCartney, if you ever need to talk, you know I'm always there."

I smile a genuine smile- the first one since I met Aria again. "Thanks, Stan. I appreciate it." But I kept walking out. I needed some air. Stepping outside into the sticky Liverpool night, I light another ciggy and take a deep inhale from it.

_**(Flashback)**_

_ I sat down in the seat that I had occupied for the past month in Mrs. Cunningham's first period English class. Everyone was here…everyone was ready to hand in their month of blood, sweat, and tears. Everyone except one person. Would she even come? Would she let me talk? Could I make her see that I didn't mean to do anything? If I had known…if I hadn't been so stupid…_

_ And there she was. I didn't even know how she got into the room. I always noticed. But not today. She pulled out a chair and sat beside me, looking straight ahead. Her back was rigid, her legs were tightly crossed at the ankles, and she clasped her hands together tightly. The sight made me want to run to the middle of nowhere and scream at the top of my lungs until I could no more. She was afraid of me. Aria- the girl I really, genuinely loved- was absolutely afraid of me. And it was all my fault. _

_ "Aria…I…" But when I looked into her face and saw it staring straight ahead without even acknowledging me, I knew it would be worthless. Anything that I tried to say could never be enough for what happened last night. _

_ I saw the paper sitting in front of her. The pages were unflawed and pristine. The handwriting went on and on, the cursive delicately looping in and out, all over the page. The thick stack of papers that lay underneath the first was unmistakably huge- there was no way that the thesis essay was only ten pages. The thing that grabbed my attention, though, was the top of the paper. 'Written by Paul McCartney and Aria Chapman'. My name was on it when it should not have been. This was her paper. All I did was make the entire experience of writing it living hell. _

_ Mrs. Cunningham approached our desk. "Ah, Aria and Paul. I assigned you two to each other because I knew Ms. Chapman could keep you steadily focused and get the work done, and I hope I proved right. Now, this is a question I am asking all the groups and I would like you to answer honestly. How much work did each of you put into this paper?"_

_ Before I could say anything, Aria began talking like she always did, in her smooth, steady voice, showing no signs of weakness. "Well how we work together was, first we made a schedule pertaining to what we had to get accomplished each day in order to meet our end goal. Instead of doing different parts separately, we figured it would be easier if we both worked together as it would keep us both on the same page. We came up with the thesis and supporting theories and found evidence in the text together, and Paul took the notes down and began shaping all the paragraphs and evidence while I was still looking through the book to check for anything we could've missed, and then I rewrote the paper to make it one whole cohesive piece. I would say we worked on it equally."_

_ Mrs. Cunningham looked somewhat surprised. "Thank you, Aria. It's nice to know you are starting to take your grades a bit more seriously, Mr. McCartney." And with that, she moved on to the next table, taking Aria's thesis paper with her._

_ "Why did you do that?" I asked._

_ I watched as tear rolled down her cheek and fell on to the brown desk._

_ What have I done. _

_ When the bell rang, she slowly made her way out of the classroom and out of my life. That was the last time I ever saw Aria Chapman._

Until today.

Tomorrow. Battle plan for tomorrow. She will show up at the coffee house, I just know it. If she's anything like the fifteen year old I know- and judging from today, it seems like she still is- she'll come.

And we'll go one by one. Ringo, John, George than me. That way she won't have to deal with John and I back to back. And when its my turn, well fuck the damn interview! Well maybe not. Aria obviously cares about it. But she needs to hear what I have to say. She needs to hear that everyday she's been gone, I've regretted that night with everything I have. She needs to hear all of this…

But what in the world am I going to say?

I take another long drag from my ciggy. The stars are shining unusually bright tonight. What has she been doing all these years? Where was she? And how is she back here? I want to know all of these things, but I know I cannot just do the whole "let's get lunch and catch up!" thing with her. That won't be working _any _time soon.

The door leading to inside the cavern squeaks open and the one person I think I could stand talking to right now. He steps outside and closes the door behind him.

"Want a cig?" I ask. He shakes his head and I look at him weirdly. Pretty unusual for him to turn down a cigarette.

"So."

"What, John?"

"Did you love her?"

I don't answer for I long time. Did I love her? The first time she walked into that classroom, there was this feeling inside of me. And I never felt it. Not with Jane, not with Dot, not with any of the other birds. And I haven't felt it since then. But tonight I felt it again. What is that even supposed to mean? But those eyes haunted me for years and years. When she slapped me, and I looked up to see her… I'll never forget those eyes until I die. They wouldn't and never will leave my memory. And the song. She was the first one I ever showed my music to, the first one to believe in me. Without her, I don't think I'd ever have showed my music to another soul. _I'll Follow the Sun_? Yeah, a real tough song for a fifteen year old boy to be singing. But she didn't take it as that. She said I was going places. I'm going somewhere now, aren't I?

I let my mind go blank.

"Yeah. Yup. I did."

"So then why did you do it?"

"I don't know, mate. I thought she felt the same way, in fact I was positive of it. Maybe I was just so full of myself that when there was one bird who wasn't into me, I couldn't believe it. And I had just been waiting, and waiting, and waiting, for so long. And then it finally broke. You gotta trust me, mate. If I had realized she was screaming, I would've stopped. I would've stopped. I'm not like that." I lean back against the cold brick wall and tilt my head back towards the beautiful stars. What a messed up world.

_John's POV_

Paul? The Paul McCartney I know wouldn't do that to a bird, I mean something like _that_. But everyone makes their mistakes, and Paul's obviously not all 'happy go lucky let's write a song about fucking rainbows and unicorns' about this.

The door slams loudly and I let out a soft whistle. "Our Paulie's a man of many layers, aint he lads?"

"I didn't expect that out of him, I mean I _knew _him then. He's like the same person he is now," George states. "Whatever, it was wrong and everything but this still doesn't make Paul a bad guy."

"Yeah. I'm gonna go talk to him," Ringo starts.

I get up and started sprinting to the door. "Ha-ha, Rings, I beat you! You're gettin' too old, pops!" Laughing, I walk down the little hallway and out into the night, closing the door behind me. Paul is being 'philosophical Paul' and looking up at the stars. Once, I remember he asked me if there were bigger things in this world than fame and music and each other. I rolled my eyes and told him that if there were, I sure as hell wouldn't be hanging around with Paul the baby doll on a regular basis. Joking, as always. I'm John Lennon. I say whatever the hell I want to say anyways, why should it be any different with my best mate? After he offers me a ciggy, I cut straight to the chase.

"Did you love her?" I already know the answer to this, but Paul, being Paul, has to think about it for extended amounts of time.

"Yeah. Yup. I did."

I am curious about this question. "So then why did you do it?"

His answer spills out, and for a moment, I pity the old soul. But then I don't. He's Paul fucking McCartney.

"So, do you love her?"

A moment's pause.

"Yes."

**A/N: Yeah, nothing really happened in this chapter! So Paul's in love with Aria (duhhhhhh), but will Aria go to the coffee shop? Stay tuned to find out folks! Love all you guys, keep reading and reviewing!**


	6. Girl

**A/N: Sooo my dad just bought me the Beatles rock band! AHHHH I'm on cloud nine. My sister, brother (both who are back from college for now) and I have already played it so much in one day, hahaha, but I'm usually made the singer because they don't know most of the lesser known songs, which is kind of funny because they were both Beatles fan before I was even born :P BUT I LOVE THEM THE MOST 3 **

**Will Aria show up for her interview with the Beatles after what happened last night? I hope so! Read on and find out…**

**Disclaimer: Me, own the Beatles? Hahaha yeah right.**

_**Chapter Six: Girl**_

_Ringo's POV_

What the whole point of this walking around the entire city of Liverpool game was, I do not know. But I guess we'll all have to play it, although I'm pretty sure Aria won't be too thrilled about it- if she even shows up, that is. I smile, thinking about the girl who had come in yesterday. She definitely is different, and she took an immediate liking to George and I. John, not so much, and Paul…well Paul was a whole other story.

The lads and I have just finished our Sunday gig at the cavern; I'm waiting right across from it in the shabby coffee shop that John told her to meet us in. Well, she won't be meeting all of us. Just me, that is, for now. I roll my eyes. I don't know what in the world Paul is up to. Wouldn't it just have been easier for her to meet us all at the same time _in the same place_? But a lad's got to do what a lad's got to do- especially considering birds. I check my watch. 9:28. It won't be long now. If she comes. But Paul was so certain that she would…

The little bell tinkles, signaling that someone is entering the shop. I focus on the door and smile. So Paul was right. Aria walks in looking around at the tables, purposely looking towards the more crowded ones as she probably thinks that she's meeting four people, not just one. Before calling her over, I take in her appearance. Her hair is different than yesterday. Instead of it being half pulled back, it is fully loose and free, bursting out of her head and running halfway down her back. She is wearing a simple blue v-neck shirt which contrasts sharply with her brown hair, and black trousers that stop half-calf. Much more casual then what she was wearing yesterday. I can tell why this bird had Paul going insane: she seems just the right fit for him. Too bad he had to screw himself over, I hope he can fix this mess.

I wave my hand in the air. "Aria! Over here!" She turns around to locate where her name is coming from, and recognition dawns as she sees me and starts to make her way over to the little booth in which I am sitting in.

"Ringo! How nice to see you again," she says with a warm, affectionate smile. I take her hand and shake it as she sits down. "So, I hope you don't ask me, but where are the other three?"

"Well you see, I think we're going to do this interview thing one by one, something that the others decided." I notice her grow a little uncomfortable, probably by the thought of facing Paul one on one again after all these years. "But, if you don't want to, you can just do a cover story on Ringo Starr. I _am_, after all, the most talented and attractive mate you can find!" We both laugh and the tension is erased as she digs through her bag and pulls out a pen and paper.

"So, Ringo, your real name is Richard Starkey?"

"Ah, you're good! Not many people know that, love."

"I do my research," she says with a laugh. "What made you want to change it?"

"Honestly? I have no idea. I just like it, and Ringo's kind of a nickname, because I wear all of these." I lift up my hands and wiggle them around, displaying all nine of my rings. "And Starr! C'mon, it's just cooler."

"I agree, I agree. Ringo Starr! Soon to be drummer of the most famous band the world has seen!" she exclaims in imitation of a newscaster's voice.

"We can only hope love, we can only hope."

**20 minutes later**

"Ringo, where are we going? And why aren't the other boys just there too? And why are we walking around Liverpool at close to ten at night? This makes absolutely no sense!"

I look at her and shrug my shoulders. "Trust me, I have no idea what in the world is going on either. Sorry for all this trouble!" Soon, we are approaching the place where I was instructed to drop her off. "Well, we're here! Why don't you just go on inside then. I'll be seeing you around hopefully, Aria!" I bring the tiny girl, who is even smaller than _me_, in for a warm hug.

"Bye, Ringo!" With that she walks into the café _L'Amour_.

_John's POV_

I look outside the glass window and spot Rings and the bird talking to each other and then giving her a hug. Good ole Ringo, always getting all polite and nice with the birds. She leaves him and starts to make her way into the restaurant. As soon as she walks in, she spots and her smiling face droops just a little. I tend to have that effect on people.

"'Ello there, love."

She sits down right across from me and scowls. I'm guessing she still probably hates me or what not because of me slamming the door in her face, but it's okay. It was completely worth it.

"John."

"That's me name, how dee do?"

"Okay. Let's just start with the questions. You were the one who started the band, am I correct? Tell me about that and why you did. What happened along the way?"

I nod. "Well you see, love, I always had a knack for music. It just came to me- it really did. Like the first time I picked up the guitar, I could already feel it come naturally to me, and I was just a wee five year old back then. No one really paid any attention to it, but I just got this feeling like I _knew _I would go somewhere, you know what I mean?" She nods, listening to me intently. I can feel that all the hate and what not gone right now, for now its just me and me story.

"I wanted- and of course, still want to- go somewhere, do something, be some_one_. So I got a couple of me mates from school and we started this small band called the Quarrymen. Nothing really, just played a couple o' covers and things like that. And then one day after a gig, someone introduced me to Paul. And I didn't even have to think for a second. He was in the band right away. He brought in George, who I can still remember playing for us on the top of a bus. Raunchy, he played. The kid's a natural. So then it was the five of us: Me, Paul, George, Pete, the drummer, and Stuart, the bassist. We all went to Germany to play there for while, but we got busted for George being seventeen and all, and we got into loads of different trouble there, so we came back. But then Stuart left and died, Pete, well that's a whole other story. But it was just us three. Paul picked up the bass, but we still needed a drummer. And there we had it: Ringo. He was drummin' for some other band at the time, but he joined right up and there you have it love, the short and sweet version of us Beatles."

The bird scribbles away in her notebook, nodding as I talk. When I stop, she looks back up at me and says, "You really love music, don't you?"

I raised one eyebrow. "And how can you say that?"

She smiles, and I find it strange that all though she's supposed to not like me or something- because that's just the way birds _are_- she seems to have put all that shit of me being rude to her behind her.

"Because your eyes light up when you talk about."

She's a different one, alright. No wonder Paul loves her.

_George's POV_

"Wait, you have a dog? I always wanted one, but my mum's always been allergic, and now I don't have time for one. What's its name?"

Aria smiles and answers, "His name is Jet, and he's the biggest sweetheart in the world. Labrador Retriever."

She has a lab? "You have a lab?"

"Yes, why is that so surprising?" she laughs.

"Well, you're just so…tiny!" Hearing that, she bursts out laughing, as do I, although I don't know why. Something about her just makes me want to laugh and not stop. But then in one moment, she becomes serious.

"Do you want to know something George, I think being made this tiny was good for me. It gives me something to prove to people. That I can still do whatever I want to do, and nothing is going to stop me." I get the feeling that this is something more than just being short, but I go on listening to her. It feels like she needs someone to just listen, and that's what I'll do.

"Like, my whole life, people have just been typecasting me as everything they can think of, and that's why I came back here, came back to Liverpool. To just get away from everyone and be what I want to be. Back in America, I was supposed to get married, raise kids, and live the life of every other girl in this world. But what if I want to be more than that? So I left, not on bad terms, but there were lots and lots of fight, and I came here and started out my own life. When I was little, kids used to make fun of me for being small, and that's when I learned to stand up for myself. That's why I was strong enough to leave my life behind and come here. Thank god I was born short. And everything was going so well until…" She trails off.

"Until you met Paul."

Silence. Maybe I shouldn't have finished her sentence. "So, I'm guessing he told you?" I nod. "Well, I don't think you should believe everything he says. He probably made me out to be the bad one in this situation but I'm not."

I shake my head vehemently. "No! It wasn't like that at all!"

"George…" But then she trails off again. I don't say anything to her, because although I am _extremely _curious about what she is thinking, I don't want to press her for information she doesn't want to give.

Wow. I barely know this girl and I already feel like we've known each other ages. She looks up at me sheepishly. "Sorry for going on like that, I just, well I don't know. But I know what's coming next, and I hope you know that I am not coming with you."

I was just thinking that I might have to deal with this a moment ago. "Hey, Aria, listen. I, for one, was pretty sure that you weren't even going to come to this interview today. But you surprised me and you did. You must have convinced yourself to come today because you knew that you were going to be talking to him!"

"Yes I did! But not _just _me and him! I thought it would be all four of you… at the same time. And _please _explain to me why it isn't!"

I shrug. "It's something that the other lads set up."

Aria has an amusingly distraught look on her face. "John and Ringo said the same thing!" She was quiet for a moment. "This is all because Paul wants to talk to me by himself, isn't it? Well, I'm not going. Goodbye, George."

She starts to gather her things and I think about what to do next. "Well, you know Aria, you're supposed to do an entire interview about the _four _Beatles. I don't think many would appreciate it if you left out one of the lead singers, do you?"

_Aria's POV_

Sticking close to George's side, I walk down the streets of Liverpool which are now considerably less full than they were one and a half hours ago. Why am I doing this? Why am I even giving him an opportunity to explain himself? _For work. _This article needs to be absolutely perfect. If I left him out, what good would that do for the article? Nothing. I am going to talk to him. About _work_. And then I will leave.

"We're here."

I look up at the name of the coffee shop and freeze. _Melrose's_. I spent an entire month in here, every single day, sitting across from the one and only. Where we worked and worked –or _**I **_worked and worked- and where we got to know each other. I huff. He did this on purpose.

"I see you recognize the place." I look up at George and give him a blank look. I don't even know him, why am I even doing this? But I do know him. I remember Paul telling me about him in one of our long talks in the café, telling me about the crazy things they did during the summer and the way he played to guitar so amazingly. And the way I was talking to him back in the other café, I feel like I trust him. And even John and Ringo. I feel like I've known them forever.

I feel George take my hand and give it a squeeze of comfort. "You can do this, Aria." I look up at the tall figure right next to me and nod. He holds open the door for me as I walk inside, finally facing the past I've been trying to bury for so many years.

I already know where he is before I even see him. My feet walk automatically towards the table near the window which we occupied for countless hours during those cold winter weeks when we were fifteen. I'm almost there. I look up.

And the first thing I notice is a big mug of hot chocolate and whipped cream sitting on the table in my seat.

**A/N: This is it, guys! Next chapter you know what's coming. This chapter was more of a 'get to know the other Beatles' chapter, if you know what I mean. Keep reading and reviewing, thanks guys!**


	7. We Can Work It Out

**A/N: Sooo ugh I don't know how to write this chapter! I should've planned this story before I started writing it but of course I didn't….:) let's see where this goes! I know as much about this story as you do! But this story is nooo where near done… just warning you!**

**Oh and I was just watching a video of the live 'Maybe I'm Amazed'… Paul is the only man who could **_**ever**_** make a mullet look sexy. No arguments. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the beatles :'/**

_**Chapter 7: We Can Work It Out**_

_Aria's POV_

I look up to see the face of the man who had bought me the hot chocolate and into those deep rich brown eyes with the slightest hint of green. Last time I looked clearly into those eyes, I remember seeing that crazy gleam of something that I had never seen in anyone's eyes before. And then I had run, as fast as I could, away from them. That was almost seven years ago. And now I am looking into them again.

He looks almost the same as he did when he was fifteen. Same hair, same baby face, same everything. Same eyes, same lips, same expression of confusion. But he looks older. More mature. More experienced in the ways of life. I can only hope that he is.

He clears his throat. "I already ordered your hot chocolate, if you don't mind." It is almost a whisper. I take a seat down across the table and am at a loss for what to do. Address the elephant in the room? Or ignore it? For once in my life, I decide to take the easy way out.

"So, um, I guess I'll just be asking you some questions about…" I trail off.

"About the band."

"Yes, that's right." I remember that morning after that night, when we had to hand in the paper. How I had cried so much that night while finishing that damned essay and writing both our names on the top. How I felt so scared sitting next to him for an hour, and how he had started to say something to me and I didn't even acknowledge him. But I'm not scared of him anymore. He can't do anything to me- I've come so far from that night.

I can't think of any questions to ask. What am I supposed to even say?

I already knew the answer to this one. "So, how did you find yourself in the band?"

A small smile appears on his face as he remembers the past. That smile used to be directed at me almost at me, when we talked to each other about things that I never really felt the need to share with anyone, like where we were going in life. But talking with him for all that time had really made a difference in realizing what I wanted to do. What I wanted to be. He had such a direct goal when we met: be a musician. And where was I? Nowhere. But as he read through all the pages and pages of rough draft that I had written, his only remark was, "Your writing was amazing". And then I knew what I wanted to be, and it's been my only since then.

"It was all John. I heard him and his skiffle group, the Quarrymen, playing locally, and I met him after that. We immediately got to talking about music, and it just took off from there. It was a dream come true, really."

I write senseless nothings down into my book, almost positive that I am writing in a made up language that only aliens could read.

"And what do you think of your fellow bandmates?"

"Ah, they're closer to me than my real brothers are, and that's sayin' something. George and I grew up together since we were little, Ringo's the wise one who still acts like he's sixteen, and he's always there to help me through everything. And John- well I can't really begin to explain him in the slightest. But he's a piece of work, that one." He finishes off with a small chuckle. Maybe this won't be as bad as I thought.

"And do you expect the band will make it big one day?"

"I really hope so. I know we can, just look it the crowds out here in Liverpool! I feel like we're getting closer, it's just that we need a recording contract. And if we manage to snag that, I don't know how far we'll go, but we're hoping it's far."

Not really thinking, I asked the next question that appeared on my list, one that I had asked every other one of the four and had gotten interesting and insightful answers. John had told me about the artists that he had grew up listening to, like Buddy Holly and Elvis, George had told me about the time when he finally mastered this immensely difficult guitar part, and Ringo reminisced about when he was given his first set of drums. Good information for the article.

_Paul's POV_

Well, this isn't as bad as I thought. But I need to find a way to talk to her- really talk to her. Not just about this article. About every thing that had happened. About where she went, and why she came back. About what was going on in her life now. And about if I ever, _ever, _had the smallest chance in getting her back. Then, she asks the next question. "So, what made you realize that you wanted to become a musician?" I blurt out the truth before I even think about filtering myself.

"You."

Well, I just _fucking _blew it, didn't I?

I see her eyes bulge out of their sockets. She really wasn't expecting that, wasn't she? After this entire interview of niceties and politeness, here we go. This is going to be one hell of a bumpy ride.

A hard, determined look cools over her shocked brown eyes and I can see her contemplating whether to run for the door right now. What am I supposed to do then? Not let her go, like I should've done that night instead of standing there holding my cheek, like I should've done when she exited out of Mrs. Cunningham's English classroom all those years ago?

"Paul."

It is a warning.

"Aria."

It is a defiance.

Aria slumps back in her chair, looking utterly defeated and like she just wants to get the thing she's been dreading for years over with. "Fine, talk! Go! You obviously made me walk all over this goddamn city late at night just because you have some _to say_. You obviously postponed one of the most important thing _in my life _just so that you could have your little apology session so that you won't have to feel bad and pity me anymore. You obviously haven't changed one bit since we were in ninth grade because all you care about is _your _schedule, and what's the best option for _you. _So go ahead! Please humor me and talk! I'm looking forward to what you have to say."

Silence. I was not expecting _that_. She didn't want me to talk. But she has it all wrong- _all wrong_. I just need to explain. I don't pity her, how could I? She's strong, independent, and is much more of a better person than I could ever be. And I of course I do feel bad, but I just need to explain. I need to try, at least.

"Aria, listen. That night, I don't know what I was thinking-"

"Well obviously you didn't know what you were thinking!"

"That's what I'm trying to say, Aria! Listen, I was so foolish and such an idiot back then. I thought, I thought you felt the same way! I really did, and I was just so hungover and out of my mind and I had been trying to fight my feelings off for a long time, and I really thought you felt the same way! And I didn't even _know_, I didn't even know something was wrong until you slapped me. Really. If I had heard you saying stop, if I had heard _any_ of those things, I wouldn't have. I'm not that kind of person, Aria, and I never will be! What do I have to do to make you see that? No, I don't pity you, and why would I? I pity those people who can't stand up for themselves and do what they want, and you are _not _one of them, that's for sure. And of course I feel bad! I wouldn't be human if I didn't feel bad. But I'm not apologizing to you for the reasons you think I am. I'm not doing this just so that I don't have to feel bad about myself and so that I'll have a clean slate. I'm doing this because what I did was _so _wrong and for seven whole years I've remembered the way you slapped me and ran, and that tear you cried that day in English class after telling the teacher that I deserved as much of the grade as you did, and the way you sat there and you were just so _afraid_ of me, it really just tore me in two."

I took a deep breath. I need a cigarette; my nerves are bouncing up and down the wall. "What, I'm just trying to say is that I'm sorry, Aria. I'm really sorry. And I know you aren't going to forgive me, and hell if I were you I wouldn't forgive me either, but if you're just _listening_, listening and understanding, that's all I need to know. I need you to understand that I'm just really sorry."

Aria is very quiet for a long time. Neither of us says anything, and I know that I cannot rush this. She stares off into the distance and her hot chocolate is left untouched. I feel a sudden impulse to push away the thick curly strand of hair that is falling over her face.

"What made you think that?"

What was she talking about? "Think what?"

"Think that I felt the same way." She was talking in almost a whisper.

I run my hand through my hair. How am I supposed to explain this? I should just come out and say what I thought, no matter how much of a git it made me out to be. "I don't know, Aria. Back then I was just so…full of myself. Every morning I'd get up and tell myself "I'm Paul McCartney". It took me three months to try and even talk to you after that first day, and when we were partners and spent all that time together, and you were always laughing and we were always telling each other things… I fell for you hard. And I was just so stupid to automatically assume you felt the same way. All the ever girls I had ever gone after before that had always gone after me first and…and I was just an idiot."

"I trusted you."

Trust_**ed**__. _What a difference two letters could make.

"And I'm sorry."

More silence. I really don't know what more to say. I am not making any of this off, she has to believe me. She just has to.

"Paul, I don't know what you expect me to say."

"Say you don't hate me."

Her eyes grew sad and she says, "Paul, I never hated you. I was hurt, and scared, and just confused, but I never hated you. It's just that this all happened- you and I became friends, you listened to me. And all of the things happening between my parents was just building up and I had no idea who to trust when you came along. But I felt like we were friends and that…that I don't know. I was stupid."

_Were _friends. I look at Aria across the small table, and all I want to do is give her a hug, and let her know that I still needed her in my life, in any way. Any way at all.

"Where'd you go? Where'd you go for all those years, Aria?"

"I went to live with my dad in America, after the divorce and all. My mum stayed here, but I didn't really want to. She remarried and is now living in Greece, anyways. What about your parents? How's your mum doing? She was always so nice to me whenever we were at your house."

I stiffen up, feeling emotion after emotion re-enter my mind after I so carefully tried to keep them locked up. I feel Aria's questioning gaze on me.

"She died from breast cancer about a year after you left," I say flatly.

Aria's mouth opens her mouth and I hear a sharp intake of breath. "Oh, Paul."

I'm glad she doesn't say that she's sorry. I've heard enough of that to last me forever. I check my watch and it reads eleven. "Look, let me walk you to your home, it's late and not the safest to walk by yourself in."

"That won't be necessary; I'll just take a cab. I do live quite a way from here." With that, she stands up and starts to leave, but I can't let her leave without knowing anything. Not again. I follow her out of the shop and into the crisp summer night. She stands with her back to me, attempting to hail a cab but failing.

"Aria."

She whips around quickly and looks at me.

"Look, I know this is too much to ask, but I've been waiting to see you again for almost seven years. I don't want to not know when the next time I'll be seeing you again is. We can't just keep running into each other every few years, can we? Can you just give me a chance to be your friend again? I _promise _that I will never hurt you like I did ever again. I just want you to be apart of my life."

She's going to run. I just know it. A cab pulls up in front of her. She is going to get into it and try to avoid me the rest of her life.

She thinks deeply for a few moments. When she finally speaks, I hold my breath as I hear if I possibly have any chance of ever making anything up to this girl.

"I think I'd like that." She sounds unsure of herself, but hell, she still said. I grin as she smiles softly at me.

And with that the taxi takes her away into the night.

**A/N: So what do you guys think? Too cheesy? I sure think so! But we cant have the entire story being about Aria staying mad at Paul, can we? Please R&R, thanks for reading!**


	8. Baby's In Black

**A/N: I hope you guys are enjoying the story! If you guys haven't read/seen Gone With the Wind, you may not get one or two references in this chapter, but no worries! Oh and trying to put the songs in the right time periods, so correct me if I'm doing something wrong!**

**Disclaimer: You'd be stupid if you think I owned the Beatles.**

_**Chapter 8: Baby's In Black**_

_Aria's POV_

The sun shines in brightly through my apartment as I get up and begin to get ready for work. Last night was…unexpected. It really was. I spent another practically sleepless night thinking about what I had said to Paul, repeatedly weighing the ups and downs of trying to re-establish a friendship with him, and thinking about what good could possibly come out of this. Sometimes I wish I could just jump into situations without thinking of the consequences and do whatever I want, but that just isn't me.

But with Paul, well I'll just have to see where this whole friendship thing takes me.

I reach work and make my through the rows and rows of cubicles until I reach my own. As I turn inside, I gasp, scared half to death. Someone is already in here!

_Caroline's POV_

"Aria! Aria! How'd your interview with the-" But I stop my sentence immediately as I notice that Aria is not in her cubicle. Weird. She's usually _at least _ five minutes early to work every single day. Well, it was about time she had a late start on a Monday morning. She really needs a few days off to just watch some movies and sleep.

I look through her wall calendar for the next few weeks. 'Call so and so to see if they can make the wedding…take Jet to the groomer…ARTICLE ON BEATLES DUE (thank god that was still six days away)…Gone With the Wind playing on channel 5…' Classic Aria, knowing the next time they were going to play that movie. Someone really just needs to invent something where you can watch whatever movie whenever you want. It would make life _so _much better.

Something interesting catches my eye on Aria's desk. I walk over to it and check it out…it's a tub of instant hot chocolate! Why would Aria bring in instant hot chocolate? In the summer? But then I see the note tapped to the lid. Knowing I shouldn't pry, but not really caring because its my best friend I'm talking about here, I read the note.

_Here's to a new beginning! Hope you can make it to the gig tonight, you can hang out with us lads afterwards if you'd like to! _

_ Cheers, _

_ Paul_

_ P.S. You didn't drink your cocoa last night._

New beginning? Gig? Paul? Paul… no. It can't be. Plus, she had her interview with the Beatles on Saturday, this clearly states that this Paul met her yesterday. We need to do some catching up, Aria and I. I smile as I sit in her chair, waiting for my best friend to arrive and the questioning to begin.

Five minutes later, I hear a sharp intake of breath come from Aria as she walks into her cubicle. "Oh, thank god, Car. You scared me half to death, dressed in all that black!"

I chuckle. "Yes, a robber is definitely going to walk right into an office building and wait for you to come right?"

"Hmmm." She seems distracted. "Wait, what've you got there?"

"Oh, this?" I ask, holding up the tub of cocoa. "It's from _Paul._" I look to see what effect these words have on Aria, and I am not disappointed. Her eyes widen and she looks as though she is about to spit the coffee she is drinking right out of her mouth.

"Here's to a new beginning! Hope you can make it to the gig tonight…" I read in a manly voice. "May I ask, what _Paul _is this? And what new beginning?"

Aria paces around the tiny area looking extremely flustered. "Already? I mean is this a little too quick? Well, I did tell him that being friends would be okay, so that's that. But what if something happens and-"

I am so utterly confused right now. I walk up to my best friend and but my hands on her shoulders. "Aria Chapman, you better explain to me what the _hell _is going on, and you aren't getting out of it!" Aria slumps into her chair and sighs dejectedly.

"Alright…I guess I have to tell you now…"

Yes!

_Aria's POV_

_**20 Minutes Later**_

"…and so I told him that I'd like that."

Car doesn't say anything for a while. She gives me a weird look and keeps thinking until I can't stand it anymore. "Caroline! Please tell me what you are thinking!"

She twists her mouth as she tries to find a good place to start. "One, I can't believe you never told me any of this! Two, I think it's great you're giving the two-faced ass a chance and all, but I don't want to see you get hurt. Really. Three, I'm not letting you go into this by yourself. Nope. I'm your official personal body guard now, no arguments."

I laugh warmly, glad to have someone by my side. "Okay, my turn. One, I put this in the past a long, long time ago, so I never really brought it up! Two, I've thought about that too, but it's just going to be a little bit of harmless friendship, right? It's not like I'm looking to get married to the man or anything! And he definitely knows the lines, so I wouldn't worry about it. And three, I couldn't be more honored to have you follow me twenty four hours and day and seven days a week."

"Okay…but Aria, I'm keeping an eye on this guy. I really am. If anything else happens, you come _straight _to me, you hear?"

"I hear."

Ricky, a fellow employee, pops his head in. "Aria, Mr. Sansone would like to see you in his office as soon as possible." I nod. "Thanks, Ricky!"

"Come to my place at seven, we'll go to the Cavern from there, alright?"

Car looks at me and sighs. "Are you sure about this?"

I take her hand and squeeze it, just as George had done for me last night. "Positive. And after all, don't you want to meet the Beatles?"

I knock on the heavy door and here a "Come in" from the inside. I swing it open and step into Mr. Sansone's office.

"Hello, Aria, how are you doing today?"

I smile at my boss. "Good, good, and you?"

"Just fine, thank you. Please sit. How is the article coming along?" I tell him about all the wonderful, new information I had learned about the Beatles through my interviews with them, information that I am sure that will please the audience _and _my boss. We talk about plans for shaping the article, how to present the right amount of information and which facts to use. The entire time, Mr. Sansone is looking directly into my eyes, which unnerves me slightly. When we are done, Mr. Sanson walks me out of his office placing his hand on the small of my back.

"Well, you seem to have an excellent idea on where this article needs to go, and I look forward to seeing the final draft in six days."

Back at my cubicle, I can still feel his hand on my back. I push it out of my mind, though, as I look down at Paul's quick, messy handwriting. It was the same as it was when he was fifteen. Trying to take my mind off tonight, I sit down and start to work on the article that I hope will change my career and give me the coverage that I so desperately need.

A persistent knocking on my door resounds through my apartment. "Coming, Car, coming!" I shout from the bathroom, tying my robe over my body and wrapping my wet hair in a towel. I pad over to my door and open it to find a frazzled Caroline.

"I was knocking _forever, _Aria!"

"Sorry, sorry, Car. I was in the shower."

"Ah, we both know how long you take in the shower!" We both laugh as we go to my room to pick something out for me to wear. Caroline is dressed in a black shirt and a polka dot top, but as soon as she lays eyes on a black number sitting in the back of my closet, she screams, "ARIA! Can I please, please, _please _borrow this dress?"

I glance at the dress that she is holding. Oh, _that _one. I never ever wore it; it was a gift from one of my cousins and it was just way too racy for me. I'd never be able to pull it off, anyway. "Sure, Car, you can even keep it if you'd like."

"Wait, hang on a sec." She holds the dress up to my body. "You'd knock some ex-friends out of the park tonight wearing this dress, hun."

"No way, Car. I am _not _wearing that dress. You know how I dress, and it is not in clothes like that."

"Just try it on, Aria! You don't have to wear it tonight if you don't want to… Just try it on, please!" Knowing that resisting a set minded Caroline will do no good to anyone, I huff as I pulled it on over my head. Looking into the full length mirror, I am honestly surprised. I look…good. The black dress hugs curves that I always try to hide and sets itself right above my knees. The dress shows no cleavage at all, the neckline resting right on the collarbone, but for some reason that makes it look so much better. A small black tying strand wraps around under my chest and ties into a little knot in the back, giving the simple dress only a touch of design, and the only touch it needs.

"Hate to tell you, Aria, but you look drop dead gorgeous."

I turn and stare at myself from the back. _My butt. _There's no way I could go out like this, it's sticking right out! "Car, look at that! That's way too trashy, I can't-"

"Honey. You're going to a _club. _It's the sixties, not the fucking thirties! Live a little. And remember how Scarlett wore that dress to Ashley's lunch when that showed all her cleavage when even though was day time? And all the other women were going absolutely bonkers looking at her? Its time to be a little like your role model, babe."

I agree to wear the dress, but _only _if I get to wear my silver sandals with it, not some pair of high heels. Car looks like she's going to protest, but then settles for the deal. I decide to leave my hair crazy and flying out (its normal state); it contrasts the tight dress. Sort of. Who am I even trying to look good for? I smile.

_Myself._

"Let's go!"

_Paul's POV_

As I peer out from the backstage door, I let out a long whistle. The crowd is getting larger and larger everyday! This has got to mean something!

"You see that crowd there, John? You see it?"

"Where? Where? I don't see it, Paul! The place is fucking empty! Just another night of playing to the ole bartender," he stated sadly to his guitar. I shake my head at John, smiling. His humor is what keeps me sane most of the time.

"Oh, John! I forgot to tell yeh, mate, I told Aria to come tonight and we could hang out with her afterwards."

"Makin' the movies so soon, eh Paulie boy?" he asks with a wink. I had told the rest of the lads what had happened between Aria and I last night at Melrose's, and John knows its not like that. I just want the two of us to be friends again. And tonight might be a good time to start working on that. George and Ringo walk into the backstage area, just as we are about to go on.

"Ready lads? Let's go!" I shout, the thrill of performing running through my veins again, adrenaline energizing me up almost immediately. We run out into the stage in our leather jackets and jeans, smiling and waving at the screaming crowd. The heat makes me already start to sweat, but I ignore it as I walk up to the microphone.

"Hello! Hello everybody!" I shout out to the crowd. "How are you all doing this fine evening?" An incomprehensible block of sound meets my question, and I really can't decipher any answers. "Good! Great! Well, my name is Paul, this here is George, John, and Ringo, the drummer! And we're the Beatles!"

I move to stand next to George as John walks up to the microphone. The familiar opening chords of our opening song by the Isley Brothers start to play as I look out over into the audience, trying to find her but knowing its next to impossible with this crowd. I start bouncing my leg and head to the beat, something that I simply can't stop doing whenever I perform.

_Well, shake it up, baby, now (Shake it up, baby)_

_Twist and shout (Twist and shout)_

_C'mon c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, baby, now (Come on baby)_

_Come on and work it on out (Work it on out)_

_Well, work it on out, honey (Work it on out)_

_You know you look so good (Look so good)_

_You know you got me goin', now (Got me goin')_

_Just like I knew you would (Like I knew you would)_

And then I see her in the crowd, smiling and dancing with a tall blonde. She came. And in that black dress that she's in…well I can barely remember the rest of the back up lyrics of the song.

**A/N: Is Mr. Sansone starting to creep you out a bit? I know I am…**


	9. Across the Universe

**A/N: Okay, I kind of rushed the making up part, but I'll try not to rush the falling in love part. Don't worry, it doesn't happen in just one chapter! But will there be a different couple popping up? Hmmmmm….**

**P.S. Catch the Let Me Roll It reference? Added that in for fun:)**

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THE BEATLESSSSSSS.**

_**Chapter Nine: Across the Universe**_

_Aria's POV_

I can honestly say that dancing with Car to the Beatles playing is the most fun I've had in a long time. Amazing atmosphere, amazing music, scratch that. _Exceptional _music. Although I am cultured enough to know that they're playing covers of different songs, those covers sound absolutely _amazing. _

The sounds of the last song stop and Paul makes his way up to the microphone. "Thank you, thank you everyone so much for coming out tonight! Such a thrill to play for you all, I hope you all have a great night!" When he says the last part he looks straight at me…I think. It's too crowded to know for sure. The band disappears off stage and the crowd begins to filter out. I suppose I can just meet them backstage where I met them for the first time…would that be okay?

Grabbing hold of Car's hand, we make our way through the crowd and meet the same security guard at the backstage entrance. He gives me a big smile and obviously remembers me. "Hello again! I don't think we were properly introduced last time, the name's Stan." I remember the last time I met him, when I was not in much of a mood to stand around and make small chat. But today was much different.

I shake his hand and introduce Caroline and tell him my name. "We're supposed to meet the boys after the performance, do you know where we should wait?"

"Hm…well backstage is usually only for staff members and people like that, so would you two ladies mind waiting at the bar? I'll tell the boys to meet you there."

"Thank you so much!"

A finger taps my shoulder and I turn around to see George smiling right in my face. "George!" I throw my arms around him and give him a quick hug.

"Someone's looking all gorgeous today," he states with a wink. I feel myself blush and see Ringo, John and Paul coming from the backstage entrance. I turn to greet all of them and can't help but smile to myself cheekily when I notice all three of them staring at me for a split second before they look away. Who am I and what have I done with Aria Chapman? Sometimes, it's okay to go a little crazy, though. I have not done that in a _long _time, and god, I was only twenty-two!

"Oh guys, how rude of me! This is my best friend, Caroline." Caroline smiles next to me at all of them as they reach out and shake her hand. I laugh quietly as she stares at Paul a little _too _menacingly and shakes his hand a little _too _hard. But she is my bodyguard, after all!

"I'm George, nice to meet you." I look over at George and can immediately tell that he is smitten with Caroline. Car smiles at him shyly and puts her hand in his. George and Caroline! I have to find a way to make sure that this happens!

"So, boys, what are we up to?"

"Well…" Ringo started. "There's this really good diner up the street…"

The boys erupted.

"Food! Let's go!"

"Uhhhhhh, hamburgers and milkshakes!"

"I'm so starving, I haven't eaten since dinner at your place!"

Caroline and I look at each other and exchange humored glances. _Boys._

_Paul's POV_

That dress is going to be the death of me. _Friends. _I'm not even really friends with her yet! But none of those thoughts. We're going to be _friends. _But that dress… It just isn't fair! I shake my head and look down at the menu. We had packed into a booth, and surprisingly, the diner was pretty packed for this time of night. The boys and I almost always come here after gigs because we're just so…hungry.

"So, Caroline, did you like our music?"

Oh, George. I've known him since he was a wee little kid and I can tell when he's sweet on someone from across the ocean. Caroline seems like a nice enough girl to, except she hates me. _Wonder why. _

Aria is sitting straight across from me, sandwiched between George and John. I, on the other hand, am in between Ringo and Caroline. She hasn't really said anything to me at all the entire night. I just want to catch up with her, know what she's been doing, and just everything that's happened to her in seven years.

Our food comes, and everything else is gone from my mind as I scarf down my two hamburgers. It seems as though everyone else ordered hamburgers too…just too damn good to resist aren't they?

_**45 Minutes Later**_

Everyone roared with laughter as Ringo's face turned bright red. "Shut it, everyone!" But we just couldn't stop. C'mon seriously? Skinny dipping and _then _falling asleep outside only to be woken up by his fourteen year old neighbor (who was a girl) staring at him? Good old Rings.

"Hey, Aria!" John shouts. "You haven't told us _your _embarrassing story yet!" Aria blushes, her cheeks staining bright red. I look away. _We're just friends _goddammit!

"Yeah, c'mon, Aria! Can't be that bad, eh? Not worse than old Ringo here!" George nudges her arm with his elbow, and she takes a deep breath and laughs nervously.

"Well, there was this one time in the fourth grade…"

Everyone leans in to hear what she has to say. I myself am intrigued. This should be pretty interesting.

"Well, I had the _enormous _crush on the most popular boy in our class, Neil Morris. And I was just little Ms. Nerdy me, but back then, I was _also _extremely stupid!" She let out a laugh remembering what the rest of us didn't know yet. "So it was Valentine's Day, and I decided to write him a little poem. I didn't sign it, but he immediately knew it was me because he caught me putting it in his locker! I had to stand there right in front of him and watch him read it, and _then _he showed it to all his mates! Take about embarrassing!"

No one is completely satisfied, and neither am I! "So, Aria," I start. "What exactly did that poem of yours say?"

She blushes an even deeper red and mumbles something quietly. "What's that love?" John asks. "I didn't hear you!"

"I forget! It was so long ago!"

"Ahhhh, bullshit!" yelled Caroline. "C'mon, hun, I know how good of a memory you have and you'd never be forgetting that. Plus," she looks around to us boys. "I know what the poem is. She told me some time back."

"Tell us! Tell us! Tell us!"

Aria hides her face in her hands as Caroline begins to recite the poem:

_My heart is going to keel_

_It's acting like a wheel_

_What I feel is real_

_For you, Neil_

The deafening silence lasts for five whole seconds. And then the table roars to life as Aria hides behind George's back. What in the world was that poem all about? I can't stop laughing, it's just too good.

"Keel? As in throw up or something?"

"You wrote that? For a _guy?!_"

Aria rises up and sits up straight, but it is clear that she is laughing, too. "In my defense, I was only ten when I wrote that! I had some pretty creative rhyming skills!" The laughter and talk goes on for another ten minutes, but I only have eyes for the amazing girl-_ woman - _sitting across from me.

"Oh my, look at the time!" Caroline exclaims. "It's ten o'clock! I have to get up early for work tomorrow, as do you, Aria!"

"Wait," Aria asks Caroline. "How are you getting home?"

"Well you know I live really close to here, I'll just walk home."

"Great, I'll see you tomorrow!" The two girls hug and Caroline starts to leave. I shoot George a menacing glare and he picks up my mental message immediately.

"Hey, Caroline! Wait, I'll walk you home!"

I laugh and shake my head. Sometimes he was so lucky that I was there for him. I see Aria saying goodnight to Ringo and John. I get an idea and don't think about it. Where's there time for thinking in life, anyways?

"Hey, Aria, come for a walk with me?" I ask. She looks at the clock and bites her lower lip, and I remember that she has to get up for work. But I keep quiet. She nods and we make our way out into the late July evening. I realize how much I missed her walking besides me for all these years. Neither of us talks much, but it was a comfortable silence. I have no idea where we are going, and I don't think she is either. But soon, we stumble across a familiar sight.

We've reached the lake. In fact, we've reached the exact pier where that entire fiasco had taken place. I know for a fact that Aria will not want to stop here because of the memories, so it leaves me hanging my mouth open when she ventures onto it and starts walking right towards the edge. Blinking and realizing for the millionth time that this girl isn't like the others, I follow her to the edge of the walk, where she is taking her sandals off. Sitting down, she lets her feet skim the surface of the water until she lets them fall all the way in, halfway up to her knees. I follow suit by taking off my socks and shoes and sit down a few inches away from her.

We stay quiet for a long time, looking up at the moon and the stars. I chuckle as I remember the conversation, though, and say the first words since we've left the diner. "So, Aria, tell me, how exactly is your heart like a wheel?"

She looks at me and smiles. "Oh, shut it."

The comfortable silence fills the air again. I'm happy right now- really happy. Sitting next to this girl who I thought I would never see again, taking in the beautiful night sky with her and just doing nothing but _being_.

"One of the great things about summer," she says, looking up. "You can sit out here for hours and not get cold."

I nod in agreement.

"You know," I start. "I did mean what I said back at Melrose's. You were the one who made me realize that I wanted to become a musician. That song I showed you, _Follow the Sun, _I had never shown anyone anything I had ever written before. And when you told me I could go places, I believed it." I'm not trying to turn on the emotional, fall in love with me dialogue here, I'm just stating a fact. And she understands that.

"I'm glad. It would've been a shame to let that talent go to waste."

It is a while until I break the silence again. "Aria?"

"Hmm?"

"What made you decide to come back?"

There is a pause before she answers. "I had to prove something to myself. I didn't want to grow old following the regular routine of a regular housewife and grow old waiting on some middle-aged husband who worked at a factory and running after four kids in high heels and a pearl necklace. And that's what was planned out for me: my own personal hell. I sent out on a date with this man from New York that I didn't even know by my aunts, and after my _first _date with him, I came home to find them discussing my wedding with my dad. I realized I needed to get as far away from there as I possibly could. And there's no place better to run to than home, right? So I came back here two years ago and made a whole life for myself here. And I love it so much. I'll never go back to that old life- I'd rather die than be stuck there cleaning and cooking and shopping for groceries the rest of my life. But now I'm here, I have a job, an apartment, a dog, and a best friend, and I'm getting closer and closer to becoming a writer. I can't remember a time when I've been happier, really."

Time trickles by slowly, and we sit and stare forever. Or until Aria yells, "Oh, I have work! I can't believe I forgot!" By now it's at least midnight- we've been out here for a while. We dress out feet and walk back up the pier. I hail her a taxi, and she smiles and says, "Good night, Paul."

"Good night, Aria."

The car pulls away and I begin to walk aimlessly, anywhere my legs take me really. This night had turned out perfect. I walk and walk, feeling as though I'm travelling the world, or walking across the universe. Buildings and houses, stars and space, planets and galaxies pass me by, until I am standing in front of the Liverpool Journal building. I recognize it because that's where I went last night to drop off the box of cocoa last night. That seems like forever ago. Opening the door (which is stupidly never unlocked), I go inside and go sit in her cubicle. Taking a piece of paper, I scribble out a note and leave to apartment that John and I share.

_Aria,_

_ I had a great time last night (well today as I am writing this). As I said before, I'm really sorry for everything that happened in the past and I'm so thankful that you're giving me a second chance. _

_ See you around,_

_ Paul_

_P.S. I'm not a creep! The front deskman showed me which cubicle was yours when I came here to drop of the cocoa_

**A/N: Eh, nothing much really happened in this chapter. But sooooon my friends! Soooon! Read & review please! Thanks all for reading:) **


	10. Not a Second Time

**A/N: I know that the Beatles getting signed didn't really happen like this, but stay with me! It's fanfiction, after all!**

**Disclaimer: ughh I'm getting tired of writing this but I don't own the beatles!**

_**Chapter Ten: Not a Second Time**_

**5 Days Later**

_Aria's POV_

I wake up and have one full moment of peaceful contentment where life is good. The sunshine outside looks just perfect, and Jet is snoring next to me chasing cats in his dream. And then I remember. And I sit straight up in bed.

_ The article is due tomorrow._

Twenty minutes later, I am at my cubicle going over everything. I'm perfectly on schedule, and everything is right where it needs to be, but I know that I'll still have to stay in this office till the late hours of the night to make it perfect. Great way to spend a Sunday, right? The office is empty except for myself (obviously, everyone is off on Sundays), so I have next to no distractions. Except for one piece of paper sitting on my desk.

_ Good luck finishing the article! We'll miss you tonight, and George is planning to take Caroline out for dinner after the gig (he's getting mad because I'm writing this, yes he's here with me, as are the other two), so something's going to happen there alright. We all can't wait to read your article in the newpapers in a day or so, it'll be fantastic! And don't forget to eat something!_

_ Cheers,_

_ Paul, Ringo, John and George_

I put the piece of paper away in a drawer with all the other notes that they (or really, Paul) have sent me. I smile to myself, thinking about the last few days. Caroline and I have gone out with the boys twice since that first night at the diner, and it's only been six days! It really is so much fun to be around them, I think they just put me at ease and make me forget about all the craziness of my regular life. The other day we had gone to the cavern, but it was a change because the band was not the one's playing that day. I laugh as I remember dancing with Ringo, as he had to keep looking down at his feet to make sure that he didn't step on mine. He is such a big sweetheart.

And Caroline and George! Well they really are coming along, aren't they? Saturday night after we all hung out, Caroline and I had gone back to my place and she gushed endlessly about him. I can't wait to see them get together as a real couple!

John is turning out to be the same as he is when I first met him, but in a much, different way, if that makes any sense at all! He is always the joker, making cracks at everything and everyone, but he can also be a real gentleman. Last time we had all gone out, John had brought his wife Cynthia along and it was clear that, although he tries to look like the bad boy (which he still is) of the group, he really loves her.

And Paul. Every time since that one night, our nights have always ended in long walks to nowhere. We've talked about everything, really- everything that's happened in the last seven years. Caught up completely. And I never, _ever_ dreamed that I would ever even think this, but… I feel at ease around Paul McCartney. I find that I can still talk to him like I could all that time ago, and I know that I won't be judging me. I really am glad that we are becoming friends again, even if it is slowly. A forbidden thought enters my mind. What if…what if we ever became more?

But I push all these thoughts away and focus on the papers in front of me. No time to think about my personal life right now! This is it, last day to get this article done!

**4 Hours Later**

"Bye, Ringo!" I wave, standing in front of my office building. "Thanks so much for lunch, I really enjoyed it!" He waves back at me and shouts "No problem, love!" as I head back inside to start the grueling process of editing and re-writing the article. It had scared me half to death when I was so involved in the article that I didn't notice Ringo creep in until he shouted, "Boo!" I screamed, but immediately relaxed as he demanded that I accompany him to lunch wherever I wanted to go. We had a nice little lunch at _Gillian's_, and I really enjoyed the break. But now it's back to work!

_Paul's POV_

It is Sunday night and we have just finished playing, but for some reason the cavern is still _packed. _We really are getting bigger and bigger aren't we? The boys and I are sitting in the little room backstage, calming off with a few cigarettes. George, of course, has already given us the slip and run off to find Caroline. I frown a little, wishing Aria could have made it tonight. Of course, she has the article to right…wouldn't want to distract her from that. Last time she had something important to do, well I clearly made a good job of screwing that over, didn't I? These past few days have been absolutely amazing, though. We've just talked about everything, even things like her parents' divorce and my mother. My thoughts are interrupted, though, when Stan walks in.

"Ayyyy, Stan! Did you enjoy the show tonight?"

Stan gives us a huge smile. "As always, Mr. Lennon, as always. But lads, I have someone here to see you lot!" He looks over to the man standing next to him, as do Ringo, John and I.

"Hello, boys," the man starts. Who is he? "I'm Brian Epstien, manager of NEMS."

My eyes go wide and I look over to John, who has the same expression on his face and is looking back at me. Could this be it? Could this finally be our big break? With even wider eyes, I look back towards Brian.

"You see, lads, I'm always looking for new talent, and when the whole place's been taking about this group called the Beatles, well I just had to come and see for myself how good you guys are, right? So I came, and this is my third night back. And…" He trails off. Say it! Say it! _**Say it, goddammit!**_

"How would you boys like to come down to England for a few days and record some songs for us?"

This is it! THIS IS IT! I let out the weirdest noise I think I have ever made in my entire life and walk over to John and Ringo, slapping them on the back. "I…I think we'd like that very much."

"Good, good. Now, let's discuss some contracts."

_2 Hours Later_

"George! George! George! Guess what, mate?"

George looks confused as he walks in with Caroline on his arm. I run up to him and start jumping up and down, forgetting the age that I actually am. "WE GOT SIGNED, GEORGE, WE GOT SIGNED!"

"_**WHAT? **_ Who?! When? _HOW?_"

John and Ringo immediately begin to fill Harrison in and I cannot stop laughing from pure joy. We're going to make it big! We're going to be the best band the world has ever seen! And you know why? _We have a recording contract! WE'RE GOING TO THE TOP. _

There's one person who should be here that isn't, the person who got me to this very place! I need to tell Aria!

_Aria's POV_

I look down at the stack of papers, almost about to cry. I'm done. I've done everything I possible can do to make this as perfect as it will ever be, and it's done! I flip through the stack of papers and relish the feeling of victory that is flooding through me. I can't believe it… _I'm going to be on the front page of a newspaper! _I'll just _have _to send a copy over to the States, hopefully now Dad will see that I'm actually making a living for myself! I check my watch. Eleven o'clock? I've been here much later than I thought I would be! It's time to go get some sleep, after a long, long day of work. My stomach growls. I haven't even eaten anything since Ringo took me out to lunch! I need to go home now. I'll just go drop this off in Mr. Sansone's office, and I'll be on my way out. I plod down the hallway, stack of papers gripped tightly in my hand. Stopping outside the office door, I hold up the stack of papers and give it a kiss. I still can't believe any of this is happening! I open the door and am met with a surprise.

"Mr. Sansone? What are you doing here this late at night?"

He looks up from the book that he was reading. "Why hello Aria, I didn't know you were here. I could be asking you the same question."

"Oh! Well, I was just in the whole day working on the article, I thought I'd drop it off in here and head on my way out."

"Ah, good, good, let me see." He holds his hand out for the papers and I hand them over to him, already missing the words that I have written down on them. He skims through them and looks back up at me. "Looks great, Aria, thank you so much. I knew I could count on you."

"Good night, Mr. Sansone." I turn and start to head out of the office. I'm almost there…

"Aria, wait." I stop but don't turn around. These past few meetings with my boss have been…just uncomfortable. I just want to go home, take a hot shower and go to bed, not deal with this right now. "I was wondering if you wanted to go get a celebratory drink, you know, you don't get your first front page article everyday." His voice was coming closer and closer as the sentence goes on. The back of my neck begins to prickle as I turn around and face him.

"No, Mr. Sansone, I don't think that would be entirely inappropriate."

"Ah, fuck inappropriate." With that, I am pushed up against the wall and feel a huge body pressing up against me, much bigger than a fifteen year old Paul McCartney. Lips meet mine as I struggle to get away.

_Not this again._

I let out a scream but I know that no one will here me. Why, _why, _does this always happen to me? What have I don't to deserve this. I have to get out, I have to but how in the world? Help! A hand pushes my shirt up. "HELP!"

_Paul's POV_

I walk right up to the building, knowing with a laugh that Aria will still be inside, working madly. I just have to let her know! I have to tell her the news! I run into the building, wave to the clerk (who has come to recognize me) and make my way through the maze of cubicles.

"Aria, guess what? Guess what? We got a-"

But she isn't in her cubicle. Her lamp is still on, though. And her purse is still here…but her article isn't. Where is she? "Aria?" I exit her cubicle and look around. Where is she? Something isn't right…

_Aria's POV_

"Stop it! Stop it, stop it, stop it! Get off of me!" I scream, pounding my fists against the man's chest and making every attempt I can to fight off this attack. It's no use. It's no use. This is happening…this is real...I'm not fifteen anymore. I close my eyes and pray for one of the first times in my life. I need to get out of this before anything else happens. I feel his hands on my stomach and moving up as I let out another scream.

And suddenly, everything stops. He is gone. I close my eyes and slump to the ground, my head spinning. I hear voices.

"And who the hell do you think you are?"

"I'm Paul _fucking _McCartney."

_**A/N: I PROMISE **_**THAT THIS IS THE LAST TIME ANYTHING LIKE THIS HAPPENS IN THIS STORY. Don't hate me:(, although I kinda do for making the story go like this. **


	11. Rain

**A/N: GAHH guys I hated the last chapter too! I hope you still keep reading though :/**

**DSICLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE BEATLES AHHHHH**

_**Chapter Eleven: Rain**_

_Paul's POV_

"I'm Paul _fucking _McCartney." With that, I sock the bastard in the face again as hard as I can. His nose breaks and blood begins to gush out.

"You messed with the wrong girl, you fucker. Now get out." The image that that man has burned into my brain- the image of Aria being violated- makes me sick to my stomach. I can't believe that was me.

And he does. The door clicks shut behind him and I look over to the girl sitting on the floor a few feet away from me. She isn't crying, she isn't screaming, she isn't even acknowledging me. She just sits there on the ground, staring off into space. I walk over and squat down in front of her. "Aria." She doesn't look at me. She just keeps staring off into space, and I don't know what in the world I'm supposed to do. I stand up and hold out my hand. "C'mon, let's get you home." She slips her tiny, soft hand into mine and I pull her up. Her small form is shaking just slightly, showing the softest signs of breaking at the seams. She let's go of my hand and I my heart goes out to the girl. She's safe now, and I hope she knows that.

We walk silently out of the building as I hail a taxi. The crisp air calms my shuddering nerves, and I can only imagine how Aria is feeling. She still has not said anything. She still hasn't looked at me. I just stand next to her, letting her know that someone is here for her. Someone cares.

A taxi pulls up and I open the door for her. She climbs in and sits all the way towards the left window. I sit inside and close the door.

"So, kids, where am I talkin' yeh?"

Aria fluidly tells her address and the driver nods. He gives me a questioning look and I shake my head. I'm not explaining to the fucking _taxi driver _what just went down in there.

The only sound in the taxi is Elvis drifting out of the radio.

_Wise men say only fools rush in_

_But I can't help falling in love with you_

"Paul?" says a small voice. I immediately look over to Aria and lean my head towards her.

"Yes, Aria?"

"What was our grade? On the paper?"

Our _paper? _From _ninth grade? _Why this right now? But I answer her question. I'll do anything she needs me to right now. "Ninety-eight. An A+. We got the highest grade in the entire class, and Mrs. Cunningham asked if she could it to show to later years."

She nods, still looking out the window. I see her reflection and her face is just emotionless. I wonder what she is thinking, and why she isn't doing _anything. _But I let her be. This is not the time.

_Like a river flows_

_Slowly to the sea_

_Darling, so it goes_

_Some things are meant to be_

What if I hadn't been there when I had been? I shudder, thinking what that might have escalated to. I need to get this man fired- there's no way that Aria's going back to work for _him_. And if she let her guard down with him again? Like she has know let her guard down with me…

This is the worst I've ever felt about what I've done to her. When I can clearly see the effect it has on her- the effect it would have on _anyone_- I wish that I could do anything to turn back time to ninth grade and not make those mistakes again. But I can't; those mistakes will always be there, in both of our memories.

_Take my hand_

_Take my whole life too_

_For I can't help falling in love with you_

_I can't help_

_Falling in love…_

_With…_

_You_

The piano fades as the songs closes, and the taxi stops in front of an apartment building. "This is it, folks." Aria makes to pay the driver, but I shake my head and tell her I will. She opens the car door and steps outside. I pull out some change from my pocket and pay the driver.

"What's wrong with the girl, mate? You do anything to hurt her?"

I look at the driver, just a little appalled at the question. But I answer honestly. "Yes." I follow Aria up to her apartment and after she fumbles with the keys for a little while, we walk into her apartment.

It is _Aria. _The tiny apartment is just everything her. The tiny kitchen with the sign reading 'Home is where the food is delivered', an exotic looking, multi-colored rug spread out underneath a telly and a loveseat couch, and a tiny, two person table that looks like the ones from outside an café with flowers sitting on top of it. Papers are littered all over the little table, and I look around to see replica's of Picasso paintings hanging on the wall.

Out of nowhere, a blur of yellow comes bounding out from the door leading to what I am assuming is the bedroom, and leaps right onto me! "Whoa, there!" I tell the dog, laughing as I bend down and pet him. He's a feisty one, this dog. He's _huge! _

"Hiya, bud, I'm Paul." I feel Aria watching from behind me.

"His name's Jet."

"Jet? Well, you got a fantastic name for your running abilities!" He licks my hand and I laugh as he rolls over to his stomach. His eyes scream, "Scratch me!" Oh, alright, this spoiled dog'll get some love from me. Aria goes into the bedroom and shuts the door. What was I even doing here? I don't know, but I do know that I'm not leaving. Tonight, at least, I'll sleep on the couch or _something_. But I have to be here. Even if she is acting strong…there's only so much that a person can take after a while.

I hear the shower turn on and I realize that I have some time to kill before she gets out. I walk towards the kitchen and in the first cabinet I find exactly what I am looking for. Smiling, I pull out a big mug, pour some milk into it, heat the milk up and pour some of the cocoa mix that I gave her in. Finding it hard to resist, I take the tiniest of sips. OUCH! It was _hot. _ I put the cup down and let it cool off.

Aria emerges out of the shower in an old t-shirt and comfy pants with her hair wrapped out in a white towel. She still has a blank expression on her face. I pick up the mug, considerably cooler, and walk over to her. Without a word, I place the mug in her hands. She takes a few sips.

"Goodnight, Paul."

"Goodnight, Aria."

With that, she retreats into her bedroom and softly closes the door.

_Aria's POV_

I lay in bed, wide awake and unable to find sleep. What am I supposed to be feeling right now? All I know is that I feel nothing. I stare up at the blank ceiling, hoping that it will just open me up and take me in. But it doesn't. I am stuck here. I am stuck in this world, this stupid, messed up world, and I can't get out.

What did I do to deserve this _again_? Once isn't bad enough, is it? I just have to get repeatedly tortured over and _over _again, don't I?

I close my eyes and lay still for a long time. So long that time seems to lift up around me and move around, as I remember so many things. My whole life.

My eyes snap open. _It was all a lie. _I never deserved that article, _he _just gave it to me because…because of that. He never actually thought I was a good writer. He never actually cared about my first article. It is all a _lie. _Everything I've worked for. It's all a lie. I'll never amount to anything. It's just going to be things like this for the rest of my life. No one actually cares about what I want to _do, _what I want to _be. _

Tears start to leak out of my eyes and I cannot hold back the sobs. It's all lie. All of it. I was never a good writer. It's all I lie.

The door to my bedroom opens and I already know who it is. He cannot see me like this, he cannot _know _how this affects me. What this means. I take my pillow and cover my face, sobbing into it. All these years, I haven't cried because it's pointless. But tonight I can't stop. _It's all a lie_.

Arms pull me closer to the edge of the bed until I am crying into his chest. I try to speak, to tell him to leave me alone, but I can't. I can't find the words, I can't find my voice. Did it even ever exist? I'm sure it didn't. People just fake helping me along the way my entire life…they all knew I am not meant to be something. I moved here to get a life of my own. I got this article because I was told I was an exceptional journalist and writer. But I'm not. _He _just wanted _that. _

My crying begins to subside until it is only a few hiccups once in a while. I feel the arms around me move as a hand runs through my hair. "Shhh…" a voice is saying. "Shhh…go to sleep now, Aria. Go to sleep." I close my eyes as sleep finally takes me.

Morning. The sun isn't shining in through the window like it always does. Rain clouds hover in the distance. Yesterday, I was so excited to get the article done. Yesterday, I was still living my life based on false pretenses. Today, I am not. I look at the clock. Four-thirty in the morning. I need to go. I need to think. I need to get out of here.

As I climb out of my twin bed, I notice that I am about to step on a figure on the ground. _Paul. _His face was relaxed as he lay his head on a stuffed teddy bear. I wish I could sleep. I wish I could get away from this world like he is right now. But I need to go. I need to think. I stare at his face for a little longer, thinking about what he did all those years ago. All men are they same. They're all going to hurt you in the end.

I change into a pair of jeans and slip out of the front door quietly. I walk quickly through the empty Liverpool streets as the rain begins to pour. Droplets of rain soak through my clothes and splash onto my skin as I begin to relax. _Rain. _It always calms me down, always clears my mind. I continue to walk to nowhere, but I know in the back of my mind where I am going.

A long time later, I reach the pier on the lake and walk all the way out till the edge. The lake is choppy and stormy, sending waves lapping up to meet my feet. The sky is a dark, dark gray and it stretches on for miles and miles. I can see the whole world from here. I lay down, feeling every raindrop pierce me like a knife.

_Paul's POV_

I awoke suddenly for at least the fourth time that night. Each time, I would check on Aria, see her sleeping, and I would fall back into a light sleep. But when I awake this time, she is gone. It's only five-thirty! I sit up immediately. Where is she? Where could she have gone? I look outside and see the storm.

_**(Flashback)**_

_ We were inside of Melrose's again, working on the paper. The snow was growing so heavy outside, I didn't know how we were going to get home. I voiced my concerns to Aria, and she laughed. "We'll walk home, duh! Come with me!" _

_ Reluctantly, I followed her outside into the freezing bitterness of Liverpool winters. I smiled as I watched her run through the snow and fall right on her back. She stood up, white covering her hair, and she looked more beautiful than I could ever remember. Aria opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue towards the sky. "Try it, Paul!" she shouted. "You have to catch the snowflakes on your tongue, they taste fantastic!" She trudged over to me and showed me how to. Laughing, her and I stood there in the thick snow, our tongue pointed up towards the sky. She was right, of course. It was amazing. _

_ "You know what tastes even better than snowflakes?"_

_ I looked over at her questioningly. "What?"_

_ "Raindrops. Snowstorms are amazing, but the rain. The rain is just something else."_

I knew where she was.

_15 Minutes Later_

I pay the driver and hop out into the pouring rain. Walking a few short steps, the pier is brought into view. And a figure is all the way at the edge, laying down in the midst of the pouring rain. Aria.

My waterlogged shoes squish with every step I take. My hair falls straight into my eyes, and the rain chills me straight to the bone. But I don't care. I walk until I am standing right above her.

"Aria."

She opens her eyes and doesn't look surprised to see me.

"What are you doing? Come back before you get sick."

"No."

I felt the slightest amount of anger building up inside of me. "Goddammit, Aria! Are you even going to do _anything_? Scream! Yell! Hit me! Do _something. _You can't just walk out and lay in the rain until someone comes to stop you because it's not going to happen every time, alright? Someone isn't always going to be there for you! So get _up, _and please just _do _something!"

Aria stands up and clenches her fists. "Did I _ask_ you to come and save me out here? Did I _ask _you to come here in the rain and try and stop me? Did I _ask _you to come last night and take me home? Did I _ask _you to do anything, Paul, _anything_? No! So why don't you just get the fuck out of my life! You think you come in here all angel-like and save the day? Well, I got news for you! You're the _same _as him. The _same. _Don't act all high and mighty because you did the same exact thing and you _know _it. Now that you've done all the save the day shit, let me grovel at your knees and thank you endlessly that you were there for me last night! How could I _ever _live without you, Paul McCartney?" She jabbed me in the chest and kept her finger placed there. "I hope your having fun," she spits out.

And for the first time since before last night, her deep brown eyes look into mine and something just clicks. I don't know how to describe it…it just _does._

The sun appears out of nowhere. The rain doesn't cease. It continues to pour harder and harder, soaking the two of us to our souls. She takes a step closer, still looking into my eyes.

"Are you sure?" I whisper over the roar of the sunny storm.

"Yes."

I lean in and her soft lips meet mine.

**A/N: Yay! FINALLY, right? LOL, hoped you like it! R&R guys, and thanks for reading!**


	12. I Want to Hold Your Hand

**A/N: ALERT: FLUFF CHAPTER. Hope you guys are all liking the story! Hahhaha did anyone else catch Russell Brand singing **_**I am the Walrus **_**during the Olympics closing ceramonies?**

**I don't own the beatles!**

_**Chapter 12: I Want to Hold Your Hand**_

_Aria's POV_

"Are you sure?" he whispers.

I look into those eyes of his and know my answer. It's been only a little over one week since I've met Paul McCartney again, and this one week has changed my life.

"Yes."

He takes a step closer and leans in to me as I meet him halfway. Butterflies in my stomach rise as his lips meet mine. I never even really thought about wanting this- but it just _feels _right. Never in my life have I done something without thinking it through in every possible way. But not this time. This time, I will just _feel._

Paul puts his arms around me and pulls me in closer as the kiss continues. It's like nothing I've ever experienced: sweet, innocent, and heartwarming. I've never felt this way before, ever. My first _real _kiss. From the same person who technically gave me my first kiss. But this is so different…I want this too. I pull away and smile up at him. He gives me the biggest smile in the world and pulls me in for a hug. We stay like that for a long time, him and I. I'm in his arms and at last, _at last_, I feel safe. I bury my head into his chest and let the rain and sun wash over us. This is the missing piece that I have been searching for my whole life.

The rain slowly ebbs off until it is completely gone and only the sun is left. Two familiar voices slowly come into hearing distance, and I look up into the distance.

"Aye! Aye, look George! Look at those two lovebirds!" I hear John shout. I look up at Paul with a daring look in my eye.

"Let's run! C'mon!"

He let's out a laugh, the happiest one I've ever heard from him, takes my hand, and we sprint our way back up the pier and onto the sidewalk. My heart jumps with joy every long stride we take farther and farther away from John and George. I don't even know if they are chasing us! It's just too much fun! We run and run until we- by that, I mean Paul- can no more. He is breathing heavily. "These cigarettes are gonna kill me." We both laugh and he pulls me close. "They won't find us here." He drops the lightest of kisses on my lips.

"Aria?"

"Hmm?"

"How did this happen?"

"Honestly, I have no idea. I just feel it. And I think I have ever since that night when I saw you singing at the Cavern."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For forgiving me."

I take his hand in mine as we walk back towards my apartment. We aren't even that far from it now, seeing that we ran so far. But a taxi pulls up next to us and out come John and George! I laugh, holding up my hands in surrender. "You caught us!"

"Well, you little fugitives couldn't stay on the run forever, couldja?" John says. Paul slips his hand back into mine and I smile. It just _feels _right.

"Hey, Paul, did you tell Aria the news?" What news? I raise own eyebrow and look at him.

"Oh right!" His face lights up immediately. "We got a recording contract, Aria! _We're got a recording contract!" _They did? Oh, I always knew the band could do it! When I told Paul all those years ago that he was going somewhere, I meant what I said. And now its starting to take place!

"Guys! That's just _amazing!" _I exclaim, giving each of them a hug. "You guys are going to be famous!"

"Yeah…but there's one thing…" Paul starts to say. "We have to leave for London tomorrow, we'll only be gone about a week though! It'll be up before you know it." I smile and tell him not to worry about it. They got a recording contract; nothing else matters!

"Tonight, we party!" I exclaim. The boys agree with excitement. "But right now, I have to go to work…" I look at Paul and he looks back at me.

"No, you're not."

George and John take this as a good time to start whistling and walk away. I turn to face Paul. "Listen, I don't really want to do this either…but do I really have a choice? I don't even know if my article is going to be published now…Now that I know he only assigned me to that topic because…"

"Aria, don't even think that for _one _second. You are an amazing writer. I still remember it from all those years ago. So what if one ass makes you think differently? You can't just give up…you have to try. Hell, if I gave up as many times as I could've, I'd be sitting in my dad's basement right now living off of beer and telly shows. And you're definitely not going to do _that._"

Should I go to work? I don't know what I'd even do, how I would react. But I just know that I can't see him again. Not after last night.

"I can't go back there, not today. I don't expect you to understand, but try to."

"Okay, Aria. Let's get you back to your apartment, then."

Paul gives my hand a soft squeeze and we start the walk back in silence. It's like all the walks we've taken in the last week, walking comfortably with each other in silence, except this time, it's different. This time, Paul is holding my hand. I try to remember when I felt the first, tiny feeling of thinking of him as something more, and I pinpoint it to that first night at the cavern. He may look the same, but he's changed so much since he was fifteen. And although it still confuses me how I went from yelling at him to being absolutely sure I wanted to kiss him, I really don't care. That's right: I really don't care!

We walk up to my apartment and I turn to say goodbye to Paul, but something on my doormat catches my eye. _It's the newspaper. _Picking it up, I stare at the front page and I cannot believe my eyes. Under the title of the front page it says 'by Aria Chapman'.

_My article._

"Paul…" I show him the newspaper and a goofy grin appears on his face. Before I can do anything, he picks me up and swings me around, right in the middle of the hallway! I can't believe this; the article was still printed!

"Come, come, let's read it!" he shouts. I follow him inside and we sit on the couch. For the next half an hour, I laugh as Paul reads aloud the article and interjecting his own thoughts such as "That old Rings, didn't know he thought that about me!" or "Oh! You used that! Brilliant!" and "Good place to put that, this is so great!". When the article is finished, he puts the paper down.

"Aria, that article was brilliant."

"Oh, are you sure that it's not because it's about you?" I ask playfully. He laughs and picks back up the newspaper flipping through it till he reaches the last page.

"Aria…look…"

He hands me the paper and I notice it is the section about the staff of the paper. In the first box it reads '_Eric Sansone gives up the position of editor in chief to Eileen Washington, which will take effect immediately'_. He's gone! I don't have to deal with him ever again! I smile in pure relief and spend the next few hours on my couch talking to Paul, my new…my new _something. _

_**That Night**_

_Paul's POV_

How did I get so lucky?

The music blasts in all of our ears coming from the band on stage, who are quite good. A fast-paced song is playing, and I am knowingly making a fool out of myself on the dance floor, twirling and dipping Aria back and forth until she is laughing hysterically. "Paul! Paul!" she screams. "I'm going to pass out if we keep dancing like this!" And on queue, as soon as she says this, a slow song begins to play. I move in the close the space in between us, resting my hand on her hip and holding her hand with the other.

"I won't see you for a whole week, Aria."

"Oh no! How ever will you manage?" she smirks. Feisty.

"I'll try to, love." I bend my head in so that our foreheads are touching. The kiss that we shared had just taken place this morning, but that seems so long ago. The entire day was spent at Aria's house as we talked and laughed, learning things about each other that we had never learned before. _And_ we were rudely interrupted by Aria's middle-aged cat lady neighbor, Mrs. Vanderbilt, who was complaining that there was too much ruckus coming from the room. That lady is a piece of work, I tell you.

I feel a tap on my shoulder and turn around to see John. "May I interrupt this dance, mate?" Reluctantly, I hand Aria over to my best friend and decide that it's time for another drink.

"One pint of beer, please."

"Coming right up, mate."

I sit at the stool, quietly drinking and pondering the happenings of this day. It was just so perfect. Leaving Aria behind for an entire week is going to be hard, but I know that I can manage. After all, we're going to be recording songs! All in all, life really could not be _any _better. Nothing can dampen my spirits right now!

"Hello, Paul."

Except for _that _voice. I turn and look at the girl who has slid into the seat next to me. _Victoria. _A cunning girl, this one was. A cunning girl who always wanted me to stick my tongue down her throat. I got tired of it very quickly, and even after telling her to leave me alone, she was always there. At every gig. It's such a chore putting up with her.

"Whataya want, Vicky?"

"Well," she says, her crystal blue eyes looking towards me. "It's never good to drink alone. Why are ya, anyways?"

"For your information, I'm not drinking alone, I got five of my friends here with me. You best clear out before John finds you. Wouldn't want a repeat of last time, wouldja?"

Vicki laughs airily. "You really know how to sweet talk a girl, McCartney." But then she's gone.

_Aria's POV_

I smile at John as he takes the position that Paul was in moments before.

"So…you and Paul, huh?"

"Believe me John, I had no idea that that was coming."

"Really?" he says with a sneaky grin. "Because I sure did! You two couldn't keep your eyes off each other until you were staring right up each other's noses." I shake my head. No point in trying to reason with John!

"But on a more serious note," he starts as he dips me. I chuckle as he brings me back up. "If you and Paul get serious and all…you can't hurt him. He's got a pretty weak heart, that fellow."

If we get serious? I haven't really thought about that yet. It hasn't even been one whole day since we kissed! "If we do, John, I promise you I won't. And if I somehow break that promise, I give you permission to slam doors in my face the rest of my life."

John's eyes twinkle with laughter and I realize that I judged him poorly on our first meeting. After all, he was only trying to help Paul postpone the interview (as Paul explained earlier today). I'm going to miss having someone to banter with over the next few days.

"So, what have you and the boys planned to show Mr. Epstein? Originally written, I'm guessing?"

"Oh yes, a few Lennon-McCartney originals! I'll tell you what they are when they come on the radio, love."

"But what if they never go on the radio?"

"Such little faith, Ms. Chapman!" he gasps dramatically. "Well I guess then you'll never get to hear them, will you?" I hit John playfully on the shoulder and the song comes to a close. "Well, I've got to get going to say me goodbyes to Cyn and Jul. I guess I'll be seeing you round in a week or so then?" I nod and pull him in for a hug.

"Bye, John."

"Bye, love."

I feel a hand wrap around mine as I am pulled away from the floor and out into the alleyway. Paul and I stand close together, and I realize that I've gone from thinking I hated him, to tolerating him, to becoming friends, to becoming more than friends all in one week. So much has happened! And now he'll be gone for a whole week- it'll be okay though. I'll have work and Car to keep me busy.

"Close your eyes."

I obey, and feel a soft peck on my lips from Paul. I open them and smile up at him.

"I'll miss you, tomorrow, Aria."

I pull him close. "Well, if you miss me _too_ much, I'm sure there'll be lots of girls running after boys in leather jackets in England."

Paul shakes his head and smiles. "Like I would ever do that. I'll write to you! I will. All the time."

"Paul, it's only a week! And you'll be busy enough as it is recording!"

"You're right. But still…" He pulls me in close for another kiss and this one is much more passionate than the others we've shared so far. Electricity runs through my body and I begin to feel a little light headed, but I deepen the kiss and run my hands through his hair. I _will _miss him…no matter what I tell myself otherwise, I know I will. Our kisses, our conversations, our laughter, everything.

We break apart, taking deep breaths as I hug him one last time before leaving. "Good luck with everything, the band will be absolutely amazing. I'll miss you, Paul." Giving him one small kiss on the cheek, I head inside to find Caroline and go home.

**A/N: Yeah, nothing much really happens in this chapter :P But Paul is leaving!:( **


	13. It Won't Be Long

**A/N: Thanks for reading, guys!**

**I. donttt. Ownnnn. Theeee. Beatlesssssssss.**

_**Chapter Thirteen: It Won't Be Long**_

_Paul's POV_

I sit on the plane and stare out the window. The blue sky glides by peacefully, and clouds are drifting seemingly right below us. I can't believe we're on our way to _London! _I look around the small plane. George is eating (what a surprise there), Ringo is sleeping, and John is scribbling away on a piece of paper. I figure this would be a good time to write a letter to Aria. I start to write the letter, but much to my surprise, something completely different is being written on the paper, as if it is just channeled through me. I look bad at the paper and re-read it, beginning to hum to myself. _Not bad. _

"Alright boys, take eleven!"

John's mean harmonica begins to play and I step up to the microphone, my voice tired but preparing to do another round of the song. I really enjoy singing it; all of us feel like this song might just lead us somewhere. _And, _I was singing melody on it, which was an added bonus.

_Love, love me do_

_You know I love you_

_I'll always be true_

_So, please_

_Love me do_

_Whoa, love me do_

I smile and pick the right bass lines; some think its so hard to keep track on everything while performing, but I can speak for all us boys when I say it just comes naturally. All of us look comfortable up here, like we belong.

_Someone to love_

_Somebody new_

_Someone to love_

_Someone like you!_

After a few more repeats of the chorus, we finish the song. Brian and George Martin (whom we were just introduced to) come out of the recording booth.

"Great job, great job lads. We'll definitely put that out. Anything else we haven't already gone through that could be useful? It would be nice if we had a B-side to this," George says. I look around, and it is clear that no one really has any more ideas. I take this chance to talk.

"Well, um, Mr. Martin, I have something I wrote on the plane here yesterday, we could try it out and see if it goes?"

"Yes, yes, Paul, that'll be just fine. Why don't you spend as much time today as you need rehearsing it and we'll tape it tomorrow if it's good?" We all nod yes as I set about briefing the boys on the song. George immediately picks up the chords, John has the backing vocals down, and Ringo seems to have been born with the beat. I marvel at how easy it is to work with this group; it never stops amazing me. How amazing this would be if this got on the radio!

_Aria's POV_

"ARIA CHAPMAN!" A voice calls from my main room of the apartment. I open my eyes and yawn loudly. What could she want this early in the morning? I cover my face with the pillow as Caroline bursts in through my bedroom door and plunks herself down on the bed next to me.

"For god sake's woman, it's only seven in the morning! Work doesn't start till nine, remember?"

"Well, we didn't really have a chance to _talk _yesterday, didn't we? With you spending the entire day with _Paul _and all! Imagine my surprise when you two walked into the bar hand in hand! George said he saw it coming, but I really didn't! But oh I'm still happy for you, but I didn't know you had feelings for him! And I really hope he doesn't hurt you again," she adds with a scowl. "But tell me _everything!"_

Everything? No, I can't do that. I leave out the part about Mr. Sansone, that night when he held me while I cried, and the way I had yelled at him at the lake before the kiss. Basically, all I told her was that one day I woke up and magically found myself in love with the boy that I couldn't stand for seven years! And she bought it, too. I pride myself on being a sufficient liar, as it comes into use once in a while. I feel bad for one moment. After all, I am keeping all these important things from my best friend. But some things just _needed _to be kept to myself. If she ever finds out, I am positive that she will understand. She is just that kind of person, always forgiving and understanding. I'm lucky to have her as my best friend.

We talk for a while after that, me laying in my bed and her sitting on the opposite end. George is a constant topic, as she tells me about everything that they have been doing together. He even kissed her last night as she was saying bye! I am so happy for her, George is really a nice guy that Car deserves, and vice versa. I give my best friend a hug.

"I can't believe we're both seeing guys, Aria! _In the Beatles!_ I never thought I'd know them…well I guess I was wrong!"

We sit in silence for a few moments. "Tell you what, Car," I say. "Let's have a girls' night tomorrow, just you and me. We can do whatever, it'll be fun. Just like the old times."

Car looks a little shocked. "What happened to my old best friend? She _never _wanted to go out on week nights, and even then I had to drag you out on weekends!"

I shrug. I really have no idea, either. But I'm still the same, hard-working girl- _no _doubts about that. I smile again as I remember my name on the front page of the Liverpool Journal. _My name._

_Paul's POV_

"Alright, boys! Are you ready?" I look around to John, George and Ringo and nod. God, I hope this goes well. I step up to the microphone with John and begin to sing.

_As I write this letter_

_Send my love to you_

_Remember that I'll always_

_Be in love with you_

_Treasure these few words 'till we're together_

_Keep all my love forever_

_P.S., I love you_

_You, you, you!_

The song is going well so far. John sounds amazing on the harmonies, and everything is going smoothly. I hope somewhere in Liverpool, wherever she is right now, that Aria can hear me singing this.

_Treasure these few words 'till we're together_

_Keep all my love forever _

_P.S., I love you_

_You, you, you!_

_As I write this letter, (Oh oh oh)_

_Send my love to you, (You know I want you to)_

_Remember that I'll always, (Yeah)_

_Be in love with you_

I have fun on the background high vocals, letting loose on the oh's and the 'you know I want you to'. It's just what this song needs. My eyes open wide as I realize that I played a wrong note on the bass, but it seems as if no one noticed. I continue to keep singing and smiling, throwing myself into the end of the song. I want this to be great.

_I'll be coming home again to you, love_

_And 'till the day I do, love_

_P.S., I love you_

_You, you, you! You, you, you!_

_I love you!_

The final guitar chords play and we all look up at the booth waiting for the reaction of George and Brian. Smiling, George gives up two thumbs up. YES!

"Wait, I think I fucked up a couple o' guitar chords." I hear George's mumble, as does Brian who's out of the booth now.

"No problem, we're running it again anyways," he states. I look over at George and mouth 'me too', letting him no that he's not the only one whose been feeling a little like a bundle of nerves lately. "Let's take it from the top, boys!"

"Alright, one, two, three, four!"

_Aria's POV_

So, as it turns out our girl's night out is cancelled as I have to drive two hours to meet my sister and go with her to pick out a wedding dress. I really am in no mood to go, but as she is my sister _and _I am her maid of honor, I can make a few exceptions. The drive out to the countryside is dull and gray, but it gives me time to collect my thoughts and just be with myself for a little while.

Work for the past few days has been bearable- _more _than bearable, actually. My new boss, Mrs. Washington, is a woman on the elderly side, but she has an incredible knack for journalism and everything about it. The first thing she said to me when I walked into her office was, "You're Aria Chapman, right? Great article. You'll be doing more front pagers, I'll make sure of that. Pleasure to meet you." Now _that _is something that I can actually be proud of. I cannot wait to see where this job takes me in the future!

I haven't heard from Paul since he left four days ago, but it really isn't any matter to me- I know for a fact that he is busy and working hard! And as John said that night, we haven't even established what our relationship _is_, yet, so it would be unfair to tie him down to any expectations. What could be our relationship, though? I didn't have too much of a hard time picturing Paul and I developing into something serious, it definitely could happen. I smiled as I look out towards the sun and the trees. _Hopefully_ something more will happen.

A while later, I turn into the gravel road and make my way towards the small neighborhood. I pull up in front of a tiny, one-story house and as soon as I step out of my car I am pulled into a tight hug. "Aria! Oh god, I missed you so much!"

Alex! I wrap my arms around my older, much taller sister and realize how much I've missed her over the past few months. Sure, we still called and talked on the phone, but there is nothing like seeing my sister here, standing in front of me. I know this is going to be a fun day. We immediately start jabbering as we head into the house, catching up on anything and everything.

"Sorry Lex…you resemble a marshmellow in that one. Just no."

"I know! It's…ughh! I can't find the right dress!" She falls down next to me on the sofa, taking a long sip of the wine that I have been slowly making my way through.

"Let's talk about something else for a while, please, before I go crazy! How's your love life? Any boys yet?"

I wonder how my sister will react to the news. Well…only one way to find out. "Yes well…"

"Oh there is?! What's his name?"

"Paul McCartney."

Wine is spit out everywhere as Lex hears the news. Laughing, I pat her back. She glares at me. "Aria, I thought you were smarter than this. This is the same boy who-"

"Yes, Lex, please, I know! I haven't forgotten anything! Trust me, it's different now. It really is."

"Okay. Well then, after I find this damned dress of mine, we are going home, sitting on my bed with a bottle of wine, and you are telling me _everything. _ This boy needs to have the Lex stamp of approval before he can ever look at you again."

I hug my sister tightly. What would I do without her? Although we've chosen completely different lifestyles, her readily excepting the one that I am so afraid of, we are still as close as two peas in a pod. And I'm almost positive it will remain that way. Almost an hour later, Lex walks out in a dress and I almost drop my wine glass.

"Lex…this is it. This is the one."

She looks stunning. The simply white dress hugs her curves ever so softly, flaring out into a mermaid style bottom, rippling to make it look as if she is walking over water. Her eyes shine with excitement as she looks over to me.

"It is, isn't it? God, Aria, I'm getting married! I really am!"

_**That Night**_

Going to that shop with Alexis was a little scary, to be honest. It just screams 'marriage'. Why are girls always in such a _rush _to be married? To be tied down and wait after someone the rest of her life? I knew even from when I was little that it would take a miracle for me to be married off, and I still hold true to that today. Lex used to have the same spirit as me…but then she met Andrew. The same will _not _happen to me. Like I just said, it would take a miracle. A really big one.

I push these thoughts out of my mind as I remember the date. Two more days till I see Paul and the boys…

**A/N: I know, I know, nothing really happened in this chapter either. Sorry!**


	14. Baby, It's You

**A/N: The story's a little draggy right now, but I **_**promise **_**that it will start to pick up soooon. If you want to get a better picture of what Aria is wearing in the second half of this chapter, here it is! (except Aria's dress is longer of course, remember, its the sixties!) ** ?BR=F21&Category=dress&ProductID=2083315561&VariantID=

**Disclaimer: I don't own the beatles! :/**

_**Chapter 14: Baby, It's You**_

_Paul's POV_

Is it too early? Will she still be sleeping? After all…it is a Sunday and its eight o'clock in the morning… Hell, I don't care! I just have to see her. I lift up my hand and knock on the front door to Aria's apartment.

This past week has been absolutely amazing! We have a _record _out! My world has changed so much in the past few weeks because of the record, because of Aria, and just because of everything! Really, nothing could possibly make my life any better, because right now it is just _perfect. _I contemplate my position with the girl I am about to see. And without thinking for a long time, I _know _that I want to have much more than just another casual relationship with her. Hopefully, she will be the same way. The flowers I hold in my hand give off a smell that waft up to my nose, and I let out a loud sneeze just as the door swings open.

Aria stares back at me with half awake eyes, dressed in her nightclothes. Her eyes widen after one split second though as she jumps towards me and wraps her arms around my neck. "Paul! Oh, it's so good to see you! How was everything? How was the recording? You have to tell me everything!" I laugh and plant a kiss on her rosy cheek.

"All's well, love, lookie here what I brought for you!" As I step inside her home, I hand her the roses as my nose tingles again. She smiles and thanks me, placing them on her table. "And…something else. I thought you should have one of the first copies too, so you know, when we're the best band on the planet you can say that you owned one of the first ones _ever _printed," I say that with a laugh. We can only hope, right? I pull the record out of the brown paper bag wrapping and hand it to her.

"Oh, Paul! You did it, you guys really did it! I'm so happy for you!"

The album cover is nothing really; it just says 'Love Me Do/P.S. I Love You'. But the amazing thing about it is, underneath, is says 'The Beatles'. _The Beatles. _And as I flipped it over I show Aria where it says 'Songs written by Lennon/McCartney'. I just can't keep the smile off of my face. Here, in my hand, is my dream. And now I am sharing it with the person who started it. "Here, let's play it!" I shout, but as I look around, I can't find the record player anywhere. _Where is it?_

"About that…I don't really have one."

"_What?! _You don't have a _record player? _How…What…?"

Aria shrugs. "I never really had the need for one. I don't really listen to that much music anyway, so what's the point of having one?" I shake my head. I'll never understand this girl.

"Well, then you're coming to my place! You _have _to listen to this, really. Oh, and there's _so _much music I could show you! Little Richard, the Isley Brothers, Ray Charles, Elvis, and everyone! Let's go, let's go, let's go!"

"Wait, wait, Paul!" she yells, stopping me from going out the door. "At least let me change, I can't go out like this!" She runs into her room and shuts the door. "Hang on just one minute!"

As she's changing, I look around at the paintings in her room. Picasso, she must _really _like him, doesn't she? I ask her this when she appears in a white summer dress, and her eyes light up. "Oh yes, Picasso is just simply _amazing._ See his use of color in this one?" she says, pointing to one of the painting replicas. "I always wanted to be like him when I was younger, but… well there's no time to paint anymore, is there?" She laughs and I don't say anything, but she should paint. Especially if it makes her happy. "Alright, Paul! Let's go listen to you music!" _My _music. John, Ringo, George and I _made _this record.

_Aria's POV_

_Love me do…_

_Whoa, love me do_

_Yeah, love me do!_

The harmonica (I think) plays again, and the song comes to an end. Paul is staring at me intently, waiting for my reaction. I can't believe how good the song is, and this is only the beginning! Their first song! "Paul, that was just…amazing." My voice sounds like it is full of awe, and it most definitely is! He smiles and gets up off his couch and goes over to the record player.

I am sitting in John and Paul's house, although it is mostly Paul's due to the fact that John is almost living with Cynthia. It's a fairly small house, but for one person, it is much more than enough. It is cozy and comfortable, and very…very _them. _Sheet music is lying all over the house, a few different types of instruments are up against the wall, and, on proud display in the kitchen is the cover of their very first single.

Paul switches the record side and music begins to play again. He walks over to me, holds my hand and pulls me up into a dancing position.

_As I write this letter_

_Send my love to you_

_Remember that I'll always_

_Be in love with you_

"Did…did _you _write this, Paul?"

"Yup, on the plane over to London. For someone very special," he adds with a wink. I blush as I realize what he means. The song is about me! Paul wrote a song for me! I close my eyes as I feel myself rotate in Paul's arms and let the words of the music wash over me. They are beautiful, just as beautiful as the voice singing it. I lay my head down on his chest and close my eyes. The song closes after a little while, and I can feel Paul's intense gaze on me as I bring my head up to look at him. We are still dancing, even though the music has stopped.

"Aria. This past week I missed you _a lot_, and even though everything between us has just been happening so quickly, it just feels _right_, do you know what I mean? I don't care that we're going this quickly, because it's with you."

I understand what he means completely. That night where we sat under the stars at the lake just felt like the most _right _moment in my life, and I know that Paul will never ever do anything to hurt me like he did ever again. It's out of the picture. It seems like a lifetime ago.

"I guess... I guess what I'm trying to say is… Will you be my girl, Aria?"

I unconsciously put so much thought into this very question while Paul was away for a week. Now, I don't even need to think about it.

"Yes, Paul. Yes!"

I let out a laugh as he swoops down and captures my lips in a kiss. I react immediately, letting myself go. This is just so _right. _I'm Paul's girl. And he's mine. I feel my body meld into his as we kiss for what seems like an eternity, and every moment just keeps getting better and better.

I look into the mirror, not sure if I am dressed for the occasion or not. Two days after we officially had become a couple, I am finally going out on my first day ever! Now _that _is just pathetic. I am twenty-two, for crying out loud! Better to focus on the whole career path first, though. Now that I have that under control (partially…) it's time to have a little bit of fun! Paul said to dress casually, but it was still our _first date_, so I had to dress up a little, right? And of course, he won't tell me where we are, even though I practically begged him! I'm wearing a deep clue chiffon dress that falls to my knees and leaves my shoulders uncovered. My hair is in its occasional half-pulled back state, thanks to Caroline who had helped tame the beast after my long shower. I have on my comfy gold slippers, and just a hint of makeup.

"Honey, you look _adorable_. Paul is going to eat you right up," Caroline says with a smile as she runs her hands through my hair, attempting to get the rest of the tangles out and failing. She herself is going out with George tonight to see a film and get dinner- oh _where _is Paul taking me?! Seemingly in sync with my thoughts, a knock comes from the front door. "Ooo, he's here!" Car squeals. "I'll go get it, you finish up in here." I hear Car open the door and start talking to Paul, and my heart flutters a little when I hear his voice. I _still _cannot believe I'm in this situation right now. But I lift my head up, smile at myself in the mirror, and head out of my room. _Here I am, world!_

Paul is wearing khaki shorts and a light blue polo with sandals, which immediately strikes me as weird because I've barely seen him in anything else but his leather jacket and gig get up! But I like this look, it's much more him.

"Hello, Aria, you look lovely tonight," he says, taking my hand and kissing it with a wink.

"You don't look too shabby, yourself. Now, can you _please _tell me what we are doing?"

"And what fun is that? That would just ruin the surprise!" With that, he leads my out of my home. I wave to Car, who shouts out, "Now, you two behave yourselves!" I love that girl so much. We walk out into the crisp summer evening hand in hand. Paul walks over to a beat-up pick up truck and opens the side door. "Your chariot awaits, my little lady." Laughing, I take his hand and step up into the seat. Once Paul is seated on the other side, he rolls down the windows and begins to drive.

The radio plays a song that I remember hearing today. "Paul! Is this Elvis?" He reaches over and pats my head.

"You're learning surely, if not slowly." I stick out my tongue at him like an immature five year old. I will learn all these songs! And Elvis' voice is just _so _amazing, I think I can listen to him for the rest of my life without stopping.

_Love me tender_

_Love me sweet_

_Never let me go_

_You have made my life complete_

_And I love you so_

The wind from the windows hits my face and makes my hair blow in all different directions, but it feels amazing. I stick my hand out the window and feel the fast wind forcing it backwards, but I push against it, my hand flying in little circles in the wind against the multi-colored sunset.

The song ends after a little while, and the car is filled with the voice of the radio host. "That was _Love Me Tender _by Elvis, whatta classic. And speakin' of 'em, this next song jus' might be one! It just got sent into the station today, and I've heard it a couple o' times and it's quite the song! It's by four lads from Liverpool who call themselves the Beatles. Here is _Love Me Do._" A familiar harmonica begins to play, and I turn up the volume to a full blast. Paul has pure joy in his eyes.

"Bloody fucking hell! I'm on the radio! I'M ON THE RADIO!" He begins to scream along to the song in an off key, out of pitch voice, and I can't help but join him.

"LOVE, LOOOOVE ME DO! YOU KNOOOOW I LOVE YOU! I'LL AAAALWAYS BE TRUE! SO PLEEE-EEEE-EEEE-EEEEEEEEESE! LOVE ME DOOOOOOOO. WHOA, LOVE ME DO!" The music and our hideous singing fills the empty streets that the car is whizzing down, and Paul just can't stop smiling even after the song is long done, and I feel so happy for him. The songs that John and him write are amazing, and this is just the very beginning of the road to fame. They're on the radio in less than a week after putting out their first record! From what Paul tells me, the song is climbing up the charts!

We laugh like maniacs after the song is over, and I'm just glad to be here with him. This drive is just amazing. But _where is he taking me too?_

About fifteen minutes and five songs later, we pull up to…the middle of nowhere. Paul just parks his car on the edge of the street and walks out! He opens my door and chuckles when he sees my face. "Trust me Aria, you're going to love this." He takes my hand and leads me into the small forest that is right next to the car. The sun is getting lower and lower, and the path we walk on is shaded by tall trees. Where _are _we? But all my thoughts are silenced as we reach what I know is our final destination.

It is a clearing in the middle of a forest. Small hills filled with green grass roll on and on, and a tiny river runs in between them. Sprigs of wildflowers are growing everywhere, and I can hear an owl's hoot somewhere off in the distance. At the far end of the clearing, I see a blanket with a basket and guitar on top, and next to it…next to it an easel, canvas and paint. Letting go of Paul's hand, I run over to it, stepping over a serious of rocks to get to over the river. I reach the easel and the smell of fresh paint washes over me. Oh, how I missed this smell. My fingers curl over the paintbrush and my mind immediately bursts into endless possibilities of what I can transform this canvas into.

Arms wrap around me from behind and I am pulled into Paul's body. "Do you like it?" he whispers. I nod, smiling. "Good! Now let's _eat! _I'm starving!" We sit down on the blanket as Paul unpacks contents from the picnic basket. There are finger sandwiches, burritos, chinese noodles, _and _macaroons. Talk about bringing the cultures together! Wine is poured and we begin to make our way through the feast. We talk, laugh and reminisce our way through the meal, and I find myself wishing that this night will never end, although it has just started. By the time we are done, it is getting dark and I need light to paint! I walk over to the easel, and with a few brush strokes, begin to paint.

Music drifts over to my ears, keeping me company as I paint. I look over to Paul and see him sitting on a rock by the river, strumming his guitar and singing.

_There were bells on a hill_

_But I never heard them ringing_

_No I never heard them at all_

_Till there was you_

_There were birds in the sky_

_But I never saw them winging_

_No, I never saw them at all_

_Till there was you_

The music continues as we are both at peace with ourselves, doing what we love and being in each other's company. The soft guitar gives the place a warm, cozy atmosphere, and I feel a joy running through me that I have never felt since I painted my last painting all those years ago.

_Then there was music and wonderful roses_

_They tell me in sweet fragrant meadows_

_Of dawn and dew_

_There was love all around_

_But I never heard it singing_

_No, I never heard it at all_

_Till there was you_

_Till there was you!_

Many songs later, the sky is dark and I am lying next to Paul on the blanket, his arm around me. There is only one word to describe how I am feeling: infinite. I can stay in this place forever.

**A/N: UGHGHGHGHGH ANOTHER SAPPY CHAPTER. I'm really starting to annoy myself. But soon folks, soon! I just need to figure out what exactly is happening soon:) Oh and Till There was You is a cover, not trying to pass it off as a Beatles song! And Paul in the story knows it's a cover too ;)**


	15. She's a Woman

**A/N: So lately there's been too much fluff, and this chapter is kinda sorta too. BUT THE ENDING OF THIS CHAPTER ISN'T. Cliffhanger? I think so. Be prepared for the direction of the story to take a huge turn as I throw a curveball that no one will see coming in the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: "Hey, Beatles! I own you!" **

** "Hahahahaha, yeah right." **

_**Chapter 15: She's a Woman**_

_**3 Months Later**_

_Aria's POV_

"All the catering has been taken care of?..._No_, not the chocolate cake! It's a marble cake! _Please, _don't mess up the cake for god sakes!...Okay, I'll be over in a few days to check on it…Okay, thank you." I hang up the phone and lean back in my office chair. Damn this wedding! It's going to drive me insane, if it hasn't already! I look over to my calendar and look at the big red circle on it. December 2nd. One more month until the wedding. Only one more month. Everything had to go absolutely smooth until at least then- _nothing_ can distract me from this. Except of course, work. And Paul.

Three months and it feels like it's been years with him. Our relationship has grown so much, it's hard to believe that we haven't been together our entire life. I can almost say it…those three words. They're on the tip of my tongue every time he does something for me, every time he helps me out with work, every time he drops by the office with a steaming hot chocolate from _Melrose's_. When he got food poisoning that time he ate that rare steak when I told him not to, that time when he won me the huge stuffed bear from the carnival…I can't imagine my life without him anymore. I just can't say the words, not yet. But I feel it through every piece of me.

The Beatles are huge. There's no other way to put it; after _Love Me Do _climbed to number seventeen on the charts, they released _Please Please Me, _a somewhat vulgar, suggestive, absolutely _brilliant_ song which climbed all the way to number one. There was no choice left but to release an album, and that is what they did. _Please Please Me_ was released just a few weeks ago, and it was an instant hit! Thankfully, the band is now recording in Liverpool so that they won't have to fly down to London, just walk a few blocks down the street. The attention that they are receiving is growing tremendously; I feel that their days at the Cavern are numbered as many of their songs are recognized by so many people nowadays. When Ringo and I went out for lunch one day to good old _Gillian's, _there were whispers around us the entire time, and at least four girls asked him for his autograph! Whenever Paul and I went out someplace, it was an even bigger deal! The girls just _loved _him. I'm guessing it's the face! But it's recently been getting increasingly hard to go out to public places together. We usually retire to the pier, or the clearing in the forest, or somewhere much more private. Being a rising star's girlfriend does come with a price, I realize.

Oh my God! I didn't even notice the time; it is eight in the evening! Finishing the article I am working on, I hand it into Mrs. Washington (whom I am really learning to _love _as a new boss) and decide to head to Paul's just for a little while. I take a taxi down to his house and step inside. "Paul?" The house seems empty, but I hear the faint twang of guitar strings coming from one of the upstairs rooms. Paul's voice begins to float down, stopping here and there every now and then. I walk up the staircase and stand in the open doorway. Paul is sitting on his bed with his back to me, not knowing that I am watching him work.

_It feels so right now_

_Hold me tight_

_Tell me I'm the only one_

_And then-_

He hums the rest of the line and sighs in frustration, running his hand through his hair. He looks out the bedroom, repeating the hum over and over again until he shouts, "Yes! That's it!"

_Tell me I'm the only one_

_And then I might_

_Never be the lonely one_

_So hold me tight_

_Tonight, tonight_

_It's you_

_You, you, you!_

Not being able to resist any longer, I creep up behind him, not making a sound. I position my face right next to his ear.

"Boo!"

"Ahhh!" Immediately, I regret what I've done; Paul lets out a shocked yell and his guitar comes up and hits him square in the nose. Blood begins to gush out of it and all over his hands as he tries to keep the mess in one area. "Ouch! Fuck, fuck, fuck, I'm bleeding! I'm bleeding! Ah, blood!" I run as fast as I can to the bathroom and wet a black towel and rush back to the room.

"Oh, Paul, I'm so sorry! I didn't know…here! Let me help you, move your hands!" But his hands are soaked, so I stand him up and we walk quickly back to the bathroom. "Here, lean over the sink and move your hands." He obeys and I quickly place the towel to his nose, trying to stop the bleeding. God, I am such an idiot! Blood begins to dribble onto my hands but I ignore it. I need to stop this bleeding now! "Here, hold this, I'll be right back!" I run into the kitchen and wrap a few ice cubes in a paper towel. My dad always used to put ice to wherever my sister and I had hurt ourselves and were bleeding…I had to try something!

I put the ice to is nose and hold it there for a long time, neither of us really talking. After a considerable amount of time, paper towels, and the occasional "Fuck!" from Paul, the bleeding has stopped. I turn on the faucet and wet a clean towel to remove all the remaining blood away from Paul's face. He goes a bit cross eyed as he attempts to examine his nose. Once all the blood is gone, I look to see if any real damage has been done.

"Does it hurt a lot?"

"Only a little."

"How bout when I do this?" I press down a bit roughly on his nose.

"Ow, ow, fuck Aria!"

"Paul, I think we need to go to the hospital. Your nose might be broken!"

Paul's eyes open wide with fear. "No! No hospitals! I can die for all I care, no hospitals!" I almost want to laugh with the childish way he is refusing.

"Aw, is little Paulie scared of the big bad doctor?"

"What? No! I just don't need to go! Look," he says spinning around. "I'm healed! Ta-da!" I narrow my eyes and expect his nose more closely. Everything seems to be in working order… I'll just keep an eye on it. If it gets any worse, I'm taking him to the hospital! I don't care if I have to drag him there myself!

"Aria, you are _so _going to pay for this…" I burst out into laughter as Paul begins to ferociously tickle me.

"Ahhh, Paul! Ahahaha, stop it! Paul, I can't breathe! Stop it!" But he doesn't relent. If he doesn't stop, I'm going to wet myself! Laughing uncontrollably, I wriggle out of his grasp and run into the bedroom, closing the door. Paul pushes it open before I can lock it though, and runs right after me! "Paul, no!" I laugh loudly, climbing across the bed and onto the other side of the room. But he is already there! I double over again as he resumes tickling me, but even _harder _if that's possible! I curl up in the fetal position on the bed, trying my best to save my poor stomach but Paul is just relentless! I let out a scream filled with laughter and pray that he stops soon.

And suddenly, it's all done. I look up to see Paul right over me, breathing hard. Before either of us know what we're doing, he crushes his body against mine and we are kissing fiercely, passionately, so much more than we have ever done before. Something builds up inside of me and I want more, more than what I've ever done before. I _need _more. Removing my hands from his hair, I slowly start to unbutton his white collared shirt. Sensing this, he breaks the kiss off and stares at me with wonder as he leans directly over me.

"Are you sure about this?"

Am I? My first time… But who else would it be than Paul? My mind flashes to the last time he asked me the same question, right before we shared our first (real) kiss on the pier. That had turned out to change my life in so many wonderful ways.

"Yes."

Paul smiles and brushes a lock of hair away from my face. We discard each other's clothing until we are in nothing. I look away shyly, knowing I am ruining the moment. But I can't help it.

Paul turns my face towards him. "You are beautiful."

And for the first time in my life, I make love and it feel oh so _right. _Paul McCartney: my first kiss, my first time, my first…my first love.

_Paul's POV_

My eyes are open, but I surely must be dreaming. A girl with brown, bushy hair spilling everywhere is asleep next to me, in my arms, her chest rising and falling with every short breath that she takes. My hand that is not around her waist runs through her hair as I breathe in the scent of it. Watermelon, watermelon and flowers. I'll remember this smell for the rest of my life. I'll remember this smell…when we go on tour in three weeks.

I haven't gotten around to telling her yet. But Brian says that people in neighbouring cities are picking up massive amounts of our records, and we had landed a deal to go on tour as an opening act for _Helen Shapiro. _It is just too big of an opportunity to pass up. Our next album is scheduled to come out a week before then, it just needs one or two more songs and the finishing touches. But from what I've heard, people are buying tickets to see us more than Helen herself! These past few months have been so crazy with all the attention, but I cannot complain. This _is _the dream.

But I look to the girl sleeping right next to me and it breaks my heart to have to leave her behind. We'll be gone for the entire month of December and there's no way she'll be able to come. I'll miss her sister's wedding, Christmas, New Year's…everything. And being that the holidays are her favorite time of year _and _that she is the one pulling this whole wedding together, it doesn't score me any points to be missing both. I hope she'll understand. But how can I tell her? Not the same as I did last time, we've grown so far since then…

_**(Flashback) (Pssst…to readers, this was in the story, but in Aria's POV!)**_

_ I'll miss this girl so much, she'll have no idea. The effect she has on me…there's no possible way I can even begin to describe it to her._

_ "Close your eyes." Her bright brown eyes disappear, and I lean in to give her the softest kiss that I possibly can. This feeling of her lips on mine, I want to remember that. God knows I've waited long enough. Seven years. _

_ "I'll miss you, tomorrow, Aria."_

_ She opens her eyes and laughs, pulling me closer to her by the collar of my jacket. "Well, if you miss me too much, I'm sure there'll be lots of girls running after boys in leather jackets in England."_

_ She can't be serious, right? No, she's not serious, her eyes are just _dancing. _There's really no other way to put that. "Like I would ever do that. I'll write to you! I will. All the time."_

_ "Paul, it's only a week! And you'll be busy enough as it is recording!"_

_ But it's not only a week…a week is like a year. I wish she could just come! But I know she can't, and we've only been seeing each other for a __**day**__…she can't feel for me what I feel for her yet._

That conversation. The words. I slowly untangle myself from Aria, pull on some clothes, and make my way downstairs with my guitar.

_Aria's POV_

My first thought when I wake up is that last night was all a dream. But as I realize I am not wearing anything, and I'm in Paul's bed… it isn't. I check the clock, and sigh when I realize its only seven. But wait, it doesn't even matter! It's Sunday! Where is Paul, though?

I slip out of bed and pull my clothes from last night. A small smile slips across my face as I practically hop down the stairs. I am finally a _woman. _And it happened in the most extraordinary way, with the most extraordinary person. Who is currently sitting in the sitting room, playing his guitar and humming.

"Aria!" Paul smiles, getting up from his chair. He leans down and gently kisses my swollen lips. "How are you feeling?"

"Good, I'm great actually," I say with a shy smile. But I can tell Paul is distracted. Something is definitely on his mind. _Oh no. _Did I do something wrong…last night? I didn't think I had. I've heard Caroline talk about all these things enough times in the past to know some things. "Paul, is everything okay?"

He leads me over to the couch and sits next to me, taking my hand. _Something is definitely wrong. _"Aria…"

I hold my breath.

"We got signed to go on tour. I was planning on telling you last night but the time wasn't right. I'll be gone in three weeks for a month…and I know how much all this means to you, with the wedding and the holidays and everything. I'm really sorry, I really am. I don't want to let you be for an entire month."

A month? Don't leave for that long! But it's for his career, I tell myself. He is a Beatle, and I knew- and still know- that he is going to keep getting bigger and bigger, even if Paul and the rest of the boys don't know it. A half-hearted smile appears on my face. I am _going _to be happy for him. And there's still three weeks left, right?

"Paul! That's amazing, I'm so excited for you!"

Paul's face immediately relaxes, and the tension leaves his eyes. I know that I made the right choice by supporting him, and who am I kidding? I support him _fully. _ I really do. This is his dream, he has to go and live it. Without saying anything, he picks up his guitar and starts to play a song.

_Close your eyes and I'll kiss you_

_Tomorrow, I'll miss you_

_Remember I'll always be true_

_And then while I'm away_

_I'll write home everyday_

_And I'll send all my loving to you_

The conversation we had before he left for London! It's the same one, except in a song! Paul smiles a gorgeous smile at me as he figures that I have recognized it and continues to play.

_I'll pretend that I'm kissing_

_The lips I am missing_

_And hope that my dreams will come true_

_And then while I'm away_

_I'll write home everyday_

_And I'll send all my loving to you_

"I haven't finished the rest yet," he says sheepishly. It doesn't matter- the song is so beautiful already. I can already see him standing in front of hundreds of people, bopping his head up and down and practically dancing to the beat as he sings this song.

A few hours later, I am walking down the street towards _Gillian_, wanting to pick up some quick fish and chips and then get back to _Gone with the Wind _with Jet. Right now, the party at Ashley's is going on, so I know I'll have a good half an hour until the real drama begins to unfold.

But something stops me in my tracks. I look up into the face of the person standing in front of me, the person who I have not seen or heard from in _seven years. _The person who doesn't give a damn about me anymore.

_ "Mom?"_

**A/N: Cliffhanger! MUAHAHAHA. Things start to get realllly screwed up for Aria in the next chapter…you'll know what I mean. Read on, my darlings!**


	16. Little Child

**A/N: So guess which movie I watched last night with my dad? 'Nowhere Boy', it's about John Lennon's life early on, and almost all the facts where straight! **_**AND **_**it's amazing:) Okay so this chapter makes the story turn in an entirely new direction…you'll see what I mean. **

**I don't own the Beatles (tear)**

_**Chapter 16: Little Child**_

_Aria's POV_

"Mom?"

This is _not _happening. My mother. The one who, no matter how many times Alex or I tried to contact her after the divorce, ignored it all. Who built herself a new, fancy life in Greece married to some rich who-knows-what. The one who has made me decide that I will _never _have children because of the ways a mother can act.

She stands right in front of me. Yes, that is definitely her- no doubts about it. The long, blonde hair, the small face hidden behind huge, bug-eyed black sunglasses, the white Prada bag that dangles next to her bright yellow, form fitting dress hidden under a white coat. _And it's the middle of winter. _She is _insane. _ I have the sudden urge to run to the nearest dustbin and throw up the contents of my breakfast that I had at Paul's hours ago.

"Oh, Aria!" rosy red lips exclaim, opening to show the only noticeably disgusting part of her: her teeth. Yellow from all those years of smoking those stupid cigarettes. "How good it is to see you again, darling!" She moves towards me in an attempt to share a hug, and I quickly back up. _No. Way._

"Cut the shit, _mother_," I hiss. Just who the hell does she think she is? "What are you even doing here?"

"Well, I've been in the city for quite some time now…three weeks to be exact. Trying to find you."

"_What?"_

She jerks her head to the side, starting to seem impatient. She has no right…no right at all. "Can we go somewhere and talk, honey? We need some catching up."

"_Don't _call me honey." But I follow her nonetheless. Since we are right outside of _Gillian's_, I go and sit down at a table, immediately feeling the frost of the winter disappearing. But now, the frost is emitting from the person sitting across from me. What in the world is happening?

"Would you like anything to eat?"

"Mother! Just cut to the chase- I'm not here to have a little chit chat with you over lunch, okay? Tell me what you're doing here, what you want from me, and then I'll be on my way back to my _life _that I've built just fine without you."

"Aria, _you_ were the one who chose to go to America with your father."

"Yes, for reasons you won't understand even if I explained them to you!" I had never told her about what happened with Paul in the ninth grade, thank God. "Thank God that I hadn't made the decision to stay with you, who _knows _what would've happened? And just because I chose to stay with Dad, it doesn't mean I wouldn't have liked to visit once in a while! To see my _mother! _But you didn't want any of that, did you? Just run back off to Greece and to your new life, please! I don't _want _you here."

As much as I hate to say it, I am in some ways like my mother. Instead of the silence that usually ensues with most people after I go off on long rants, she shoots right back. "Do you know how much it _hurt_ when both you _and _your sister chose _him _instead of me? Everything I cared about, everything that was my life, it was all taken awake! You just left and took off halfway across the world! I must say, I expected better from you, Aria. After all that you've done, you could treat your mum a bit nicer."

The death grip I have on my fork might just break the damn object if I don't get out of here _right_ _now. _"You know what? I don't have to deal with this, I really don't. I don't know why you're here, but I personally don't care. Good bye, always a pleasure meeting you." I stand up and start to leave.

"Aria, get back here! There are things I have to tell you, things I need you to do!"

"What makes you think I would do _anything _for you?"

My mother's eyes close and open as she lets loose a long sigh. "Because it's not for me. Take a seat and I'll explain everything." I don't want to, I _really _don't want to, but my damn curiousness gets the better of me. I sit back down in my seat and give the woman a death glare.

"Talk."

"I don't know where to begin, but I suppose I'll start when I met Carl. I was still living in my flat here, and I met him while he was here on a business trip. It was a whirlwind and I had just gotten divorced with your father- I uprooted my whole life here, sold my apartment and moved to Greece with him where we were married. Life was so easy there, warm, pleasant, and it was full of money. It was all fun and games for a couple of years, until the fights began. Long story short- we were over when I found him in bed with another woman. I have done wrong in my life, but I _never _cheated on anyone, your father or him. But I wasn't the one who ended it…he was. I tried to make it work but it was all insults from him. He said that I was too desperate, and I was just using him for his money."

I try to stifle a laugh. "Well, that's true, right? Why else would you care? And why are you even telling me all this? I honestly don't really care."

"No, Aria. It wasn't like that. I did love him very much. The divorce was short and bitter, but I had enough money to buy myself a flat and live by. But just recently I came back hereAnd I really need you to come by there and see it. There is something I need to show you."

"I am not going _anywhere _with you, much less your little quaint home. Did you know I was here the past two years? How come you never tried to find me before? Why do you just _not _care about us anymore?"

"Just come with me, please. All your questions will be answered. Just come, _please. _I'm begging you."

"You're absolutely nuts, and this is the last thing that I will _ever _do for you."

"Thank you, now follow me."

_20 minutes later_

The cab pulls up to a dirty, run down apartment building. _This _is where she's been living? My nose crinkles as we walk up the dirty staircase until we reach a door marked with a sixteen. This place is giving me the creeps. My mother reaches her hand into her bag, which she obviously bought when she was still with _Carl- _and opens the door to the apartment.

Inhabitable is the first word that comes to mind. There is a broken fridge, a tiny sink and one chair in the corner. A tiny bed that looks as though its about to fall apart is pushed up against the corner with a big lump of dirty blankets on top. Sunshine peaks through the tiniest window, and the open doorway to the bathroom shows a disgusting toilet and a similar shower. I sneeze as dust tickles my nose. "This is where you _live?" _

My mother does not say anything. She walks over to the bed with the blankets on top. "Now, Aria, I need you to keep calm." She removes the blankets as I move closer and I see what's underneath.

It's a boy. A _boy. _A real, live, breathing, sleeping _boy. _What is this even supposed to _mean? _"Care to explain the _little boy?_"

She wrings her hands together, shushing me to be quiet so I don't wake him. Well, sorry if I'm only a little bit shocked! "This here is Aiden. And he's my son." My mouth hangs open. My mother, my _forty-seven year old mother_, has another child! _I'm _the one old enough to be his mother, for crying out loud!

"I _cannot _believe you. Keeping this little boy wholed up in here? This is not exactly the best living condition for him, is it? Is _this _why Carl really left you? Because you had a _child _when you're almost _fifty?_!" The little boy, Aiden, turns in his sleep as the noise reaches him ears. He is definitely his mother's son, alright. Bright blond hair combs down his head and almost right to his eyes, almost like John's. He curls up into a little ball as the heat of the blankets is no longer on him. My heart goes out to him, this poor little boy living here like this. My _brother._

"Aria, you've got to listen to me. Hear me out. I didn't plan this, it just happened! Carl, his father, couldn't stand the sight of me, he threw me out into the streets after the divorce and he didn't give a damn about Aiden. I was so distraught…I became an idiot. I began taking drugs and-"

"You're on _drugs_, mother? While raising a young boy?! How can you even live with yourself? Who knows what else you've done to him?"

My mother looks as if she is about to burst into tears. "I know, Aria, I know. But they were going to take him away! They were going to take my baby away from me and put him in one of those homes! I couldn't let that happen, I just couldn't. So we ran here and have been here for a few weeks, and I have been trying to find you."

"Find me for _what_, exactly?"

"So that you can take him."

I can't believe it. I really can't. This is just all too much to deal with. My mother, the one who ignored me for _seven years,_ finally- finally!- wants to meet me, but oh no, not to say sorry or apologize or _anything,_ but to hand me a little kid that she's raised while on drugs and god knows what else!

"You pretentious, selfish _bitch._"

Tears roll out of her eyes and I feel absolutely no pity. She ruined my life, she ruined Alex's, and she's sure on her way to ruining Aiden's. "Aria, please, understand-"

"Understand _what, _Mother? That you only find me when you need me? And that to force a child into my hands? I have a _life_, I have a _job, _I have a _boyfriend, _I have everything I need! And I swore to myself that I will never, ever take care of a child because I didn't want to end up doing the same thing to it that _you _did to _me._"

"Aria, I'm so sorry, so, so-"

"Save your tears for someone who cares!"

"Just think about Aiden, Aria. Your brother. I can't take care of him, I can't give him the life that he needs. You know that- he'll grow up just like me and I can't let that happen. I came here because I thought that you would take care of him. I know you'll care for him. _Please_. I'm begging you."

"And why can Alexis not do this? She _is _getting married, in case you didn't know that. But then again, there is so much that you don't know!"

She shakes her head and begins to massage her temples. "We both know Alexis. She'll settle down, have her own kids, live her own life, but she'll _never _take him in. She hates me even more than you do, and you know that. As soon as I show my face to her, she'll slam the door. I wouldn't be able to get through to her for one second, and if I somehow managed to, she wouldn't take him. Aria, you are _not _doing this for me, goddammit! For _Aiden! _For your brother!"

"Momma?"

I look over and see the little blond boy staring back at me with big, brown eyes. Just like mine.

"Yes, Aiden?" she says without breaking her gaze with me, tears streaming her face.

"Who's this?" He cocks his head to one side as he looks at the intruder in the house, me. My eyes just cannot leave his. This little boy, this poor little boy. I really do need to save him.

"This… this is your big sister. She's going to be taking care of you for just a little while." Confusion clouds his eyes.

"No, momma!"

My mother goes and picks him up into a tight hug. "I know baby, I know. But Momma's sick right now, when she's better she'll come back for you. I promise."

Scooping him up, she gives him a tight squeeze and hands him to me. I wrap my arm around his bottom and balance him on one hip. Holding a baby…I, Aria Chapman, am holding a baby. I look into his big brown eyes and although he is just a little baby, we have an understanding. I am not his mother. He is not my baby. But, dammit, I'm going to give him the life that my mother is completely incapable of giving him.

Tears are steadily rolling down her cheek. "He likes it when you sing the lullaby _Golden Slumbers _to him."

I begin to walk out the door, and Aiden stares back at my mother with big eyes. I turn and give her the most hateful look I can imagine.

"Stay the hell away from us."

**A/N: Whataya think? READ AND REVIER PLEEEEASE THANKS! 3**


	17. Mother Nature's Son

**A/N: I hope you guys like the story, remember to r&r please! I love reading them:) **

**Je ne possède pas les Beatles. (IT'S IN FRENCH THIS TIMEEE.)**

_**Chapter Seventeen: Mother Nature's Son**_

_Paul's POV_

"Alright, lads, I think your good for the day, off you go!" George says. John and I look at each other and smile, glad to get out of here. Of course, we absolutely love recording in the studio, but after spending an entire day in there, you just need to get out. Today had gone well though. I sang _All My Loving_ for the others and we spent the whole day recording it and finishing up our upcoming album that is going to be called _With the Beatles. _It's quite a solid piece of work, if I say so myself! It had a few covers and a few originals. I can't wait till it comes out!

The four of us walk out of the studio together, sticking ciggys in and ready to retire after a day of work.

"Ahhhh, look! It's the Beatles!"

"It's them! Oh, let's go!"

"Paul! Paul, I love you!"

"George, can I 'ave your autograph?"

A massive crowd gathers from out of nowhere as I look at the other three in alarm. "Quick, let's get into the truck and get out of here!" Running down the street, I look back. They're gaining on us! We all pile into the truck as I step on the pedal and drive away. Bloody hell! These fans are crazy!

"Let's go to my place for a bit," I say casually, acting as if nothing completely insane had just taken place. All of us are red in the face and out of breath from the run. Well, we have to get our exercise in some way, right? But as we turn the corner to my house, I can't believe what I am seeing! There's a crowd of girls standing on the street outside!

"Okay lads, maybe my house isn't our best option at the moment…any ideas?"

"Let's go to Aria's! She won't mind right?" Ringo suggested. No, I don't think she would at all, she's had all four of us packed in there on multiple occasions. It'll only be for a little while anyway, just till we can relax after this long day. I make a turn on the street before any of the fans know that it's us in the truck and we start making our way towards Aria's apartment.

Up the stairs we go, up, up, up! I knock on the door, remembering how Aria and I had spent the night before, and how meant it means to me. I've been waiting to see her the whole day! The door swings open and the three boys and I begin to say our greetings to Aria and immediately stop. Aria is crying. _Aria _is crying. "Boys?" she croaks in a quiet voice. "I didn't know you would be coming, just give me one sec." She turns away from us and dries her tears. I quickly walk in and pull her close to me.

"What's wrong, love? What happened?"

She says nothing. Her head rests on my chest, and she hangs on to my shoulders. "We can come back another time, Aria, we'll let you two be," Ringo says. She immediately picks her head up.

"No, no, don't be silly. There's something…something that you should all know." John, Ringo and George walk into the already tiny apartment and the door shuts behind them. As soon as it closes though, it bursts open.

"Aria! Aria, I ran over here as soon as I got your phone call…what's wrong?" a frazzled Caroline asks. I look around to all the other five people in the room. This is getting really weird…what in God's name is going on?

Aria lets out a quiet sigh. "Why don't you all sit down or…or stand around because there's not enough space." But no one moves. She walks into her bedroom and closes the heavy door, leaving us crowded in her sitting area/kitchen. "What the hell is going on?" John inquires, arching his eyebrows in question. "Caroline, do you know?" She shakes her head.

"I got a call from her saying that she needed me to come over right now, so I did. I have no idea why. What brought you boys here?"

"Escaping from mad fans," George says, wrapping an arm around her waist. Tense laughter fills the room as everyone, especially me, is wondering what in the world has Aria in such a mess. But then, the bedroom door creaks open. Five pairs of eyes focus on it and what comes out of it is nothing that _any _of us are expecting. Aria…with a little child in her arms. A little child who looks around at all the new strangers that he is meeting for the first time. He buries his face in Aria's thick hair and refuses to look at any of us.

"Aria?..."

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Aiden. He's my half brother."

Half an hour later, everyone is getting to know everything. Aria decided that it was time to tell the whole truth; only Caroline and I had known about her mother's actions after the divorce, but all the drugs? The _baby? _And how Aria was now taking care of it? Her heart is too good. The boy needed rescuing from his own _mother_.

Surprisingly, Aria has stayed strong the entire time she is talking. I wrap my arm around her as she talks and I take this chance to look at the little boy again. Blond hair, big brown eyes that are cautiously peeking up at me, and a small little body that clings on to his sister's. "…and I told her to stay the hell away from Aiden and I. The poor boy's only two years old, I don't know what he's seen my mother do or how she's treated him. They were living in a house fit for _rats_, they were. I couldn't just leave him there!"

Silence ensues as everyone takes in all that they just heard. I pull Aria close to me. "How in the world am I going to take care of a _kid_? I have this whole life here, it's going to be almost impossible to make him fit into it!"

"Honey, you are absolutely nuts if you don't think I'm going to help you take care of Aiden," Caroline states matter-of-factly. George and Ringo immediately voice their agreements, and John chuckles. "Him and Jules can have some play dates or whatever they call it these days, get to know each other and mess around. I'm sure Cyn wouldn't mind keepin' him around with us once in a while."

As I look around this apartment and see every squished together shoulder to shoulder, I know it's too small for two people- especially a growing boy- to live in. There's only one tiny bed, one tiny couch and no space to run around. "Aria, this apartment is too small for the both of you." I take her hand and look into her big, brown eyes, the same as Aiden's. "Would you do me the honor of moving in with me? There's an extra bedroom and two floors, plenty of room for Aiden to run around. I know it's a big step but…please consider it."

It _is _a big step- a huge one, in fact. But it's Aria and I. Me and Aria. Nothing's too big of a step when it's us. As for the baby…well not the baby, _child_…I never pictured myself taking care of one this early on in life, and I know for a fact that Aria never wanted to have a child to take care of. But hell, if John can manage, then who says we can't? It's going to be a big change, a big step. But it's going to be okay.

_Aria's POV_

"I know it's a big step but…please consider it."

Move in? As in live with Paul? I love this apartment, I love it to death. It's just who I am. But as I look at Aiden who is still curled up into my body, I know that moving in with Paul will be the best option for him…and for me. I turn to Paul and nod. "Yes, Paul. Yes!" A huge smile erupts on his face and he leans down to give me a kiss.

"Thank you everyone, thanks so much for all the things you've said. Hopefully, we can make this work. I want to give Aiden the care that we all know he hasn't been getting for the past two years, and hopefully it'll all turn out okay." Everyone sends smiles at me and I am so thankful that I have the most amazing group of friends in the world.

"Ah-ree-ah?" I look down at Aiden. "Who are them?"

"Who are _they,_ you mean," I laugh, tapping his nose. Since the morning, Aiden and I have gotten to know each other as well as an adult and a little child can in six hours. He's shy and adorable, until you crack his shell. Well, he is still adorable then, but he's a handful! He loves Sunday cartoons, running around with a blanket on his back acting as if he is a superhero, and grilled cheese sandwiches. I have also rediscovered today that I cannot cook for my life…not even grilled cheese sandwiches. I already feel a special spot in my heart for him opening up, and I hope that I will not disappoint him the way that our mother did to both of us.

Ringo comes up next to us and squats down right in front of Aiden. "Hello there, little man! My name's Ringo, and it's a pleasure to meet ya." He sticks out his hand for a shake, but instead he gots a poke on his nose! Aiden lets out a laugh, saying, "Ring-ooo's nose is big!" The whole room laughs as Ringo pretends to be offended until he is laughing, too. One by one, everyone comes up to introduce themselves, and they all seem to be won over by the little boy in my arms. He repeatedly high fived John, squealed as George tickled him, and even called Car 'pwetty'.

"I think I like this one," she tells me with a wink. And finally, there is only one more person left to introduce. I turn him on my lap so that he can face Paul.

Paul and Aiden look at each other silently for a little bit. Their equally big eyes seem to stare for a long amount of time, when in reality it is only a few moments. Seconds tick on, on and on, and the whole room stays silent. I grow a little worried. Does Paul not like him? No…it's just that he probably doesn't want to look after a child. He just feels obligated to let us move in with him…I should just tell him that Aiden and I are fine in here. But suddenly, Aiden jumps out of my lap and sits himself right on Paul's.

"My name's Ayyyden."

Paul laughs and puts his hand on Aiden's back. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Aiden, I'm Paul. We'll be spending a lot of time together, buddy."

Aiden frowns for one second. "Pawl, can you make grill cheese sammiches?"

"Why, yes, I'm pretty sure I can. I can make it for you _every _day if you like," Paul says with a chuckle, ruffling Aiden's blond hair.

Aiden nods his head. "That's good." He looks towards me and says, "I like Pawl." The room laughs and my eyes connect with Paul's. He looks happy and pleased that he's won over the little boy's heart- or stomach, in this case. Maybe this whole moving in thing isn't a bad idea after all.

_Paul's POV_

Aiden. He's quite the charmer, isn't he? As he sits on my lap, counting to make sure that I have ten fingers ("Look, Ar-ee-uh! I can count to 10!"), I find myself thinking that maybe I can pull off the whole father figure act. Of course, I won't be acting like a father, but definitely as some parental figure. Wait, aren't those two the same thing? Whatever, we'll just be best friends for now.

I reach over and take Aria's hand in mine as everyone in the room begins to talk again. I know this can't be easy for her; her entire world has been turned upside down in the matter of a few hours. But I'll be there for her, I always will be.

**A/N: So, Paul's reaction! There you have it, folks.**


	18. Golden Slumbers

**Wow, so I haven't updated in almost a year. If you are reading this, I am so sorry! I honestly just completely forgot about this. IM VERY SORRY! Boarding school and everything was absolutely insane this year, with college coming up and what not. But summer vacation now!**

**Arya's POV**

The next week flies by very quickly, and what a busy week it is. On top of work, getting to know Aiden, and packing up all my belongings to move into Paul's house, my life just seems to be spinning more and more out of control. After much thought, I had decided not to sell the apartment. It could be used as a storage place and bunker for people when they needed it. And I could always rent it out to people who were looking for a place to stay. Packing up all my things in this apartment makes me a little sad though- I had lived here for two years and had grown accustomed to the little things in it that made me happy. But it was time to start down a new path- with Paul.

I really don't know how the whole living together thing is going to work out. Obviously, it's a huge help, and I don't have any doubts. And it was so amazingly selfless of Paul to offer up such a thing when we had barely been together a few months. That and helping to take care of a two-year-old boy can't do much good for a rising rock star. But Paul would hear none of it, and even though I tried to protest, I'm pretty glad that I'll have someone to help me with all of this, and just... be with me. I called my sister to break the news to her about what had happened, and, as expected, she blew a gasket. Worse than I had. But I calmed her down and told her that everything was really alright, and Aiden would be possible to take care of with all the help from the boys and Car. Especially if it meant he would have a better life. No child should have to live with the mistakes that their parents made.

In the end though, I can't say I'm happy with this situation. That's being completely selfish, of course, and there's no way I'd ever let Aiden go back to where he was before, but it makes things so much harder. _So _much harder.

He needs constant attention. I'm at work the whole day, and even though I've been wiggling out of my hours early and leaving him at Mrs. Vanderbilts' during the day, it's not working. He has boundless energy, and all I want to do when I come home from work is sleep and block everything out. He climbs on everything, puts random objects into his mouth, doesn't listen the first time he's told to do something, and makes a big mess that I have to clean up. I am not ready for this. I did not willingly become a parent- or something along those lines.

But when he cries at night because of the nightmares and I hold him for hours, I know that this is all worth it. I know that I'll be able to give him a much better life than the one that induced his nightmares. And that makes it worth it. He is adorable, he friendly, and he is always questioning everything. If I can keep this little spark in him up, everything is going to be okay. It really will be.

I pack up the last of the boxes and check on Aiden, who is taking a nap. The movers should be here in about ten minutes to help me get all the things to Paul's. It'll be weird with me moving in and him going away for a month two weeks later, but it's okay. The chance that the boys are getting is unreal, and I can definitely respect that. I sit down against the bare wall and close my eyes, falling into a much-needed sleep

_That Night _

Boxes were still unopened, and it was close to midnight. I had been hoping to get all the unpacking done today, but it was impossible. The band was playing a gig at the cavern and Car had come to help for a few hours, but the fact remained that nothing had been done yet. Aiden had fallen asleep over three hours ago, and I put him in the big bed that was in the extra bedroom, one that was officially his. He had been used to sleeping on my bed with me, so as I laid him down and shut the door, he groggily whispered, "Ar-ee-uh? Where you going?" I looked at him for a few seconds, and for some reason I started to choke up. I had shut the doors and gone downstairs before I let the weight bearing down on me enter my thoughts.

The clock struck twelve and there I was, in a house that was not mine with a child that was not mine. How things change.

Why are things getting so much harder? Why can't I just be a normal twenty-two year old who doesn't have to worry about raising a child or worrying about money or wondering what time your boyfriend was coming home, or whether the things between you had just been moving too fast because they had to? What normal couple moves in together after just a few months? More importantly, what normal couple agrees to raise a child together in just a few months? Paul and I should be just enjoying each other and his rising fame and success, not thinking about how to properly raise a kid when we both make millions of mistakes of our own.

And what if Paul decided that one day, he didn't want to do it. Where would that leave me? What would I do? I can't even imagine what would happen and how in the world I would support Aiden and myself but we aren't married or anything and it's a possibility. What if he just left me, like my mother did left me and Alex, and now Aiden?

I pulled my knees up to my chest and hugged myself, finally letting tears slide down my cheek. _ I don't want this_. I don't want to feel the weight and pressure and fear on my shoulders. I don't want to ruin Aiden's life, and I also don't want to ruin mine. But it was getting to be too much. This adorable little two-year-old and the man who agreed to help raise him- both of them just didn't make any sense. And if Paul ever left me to do it on my own...

But what if that was the curse. He would get sick of me, he would get sick of them, but being Paul, he would never ever leave me to do it alone. And our relationship would turn sour and he wouldn't be able to stand living with me, but he did it anyway. He would hate me for taking away the shine of his new climb to fame and the freedom of travelling the world that he could be experiencing. He would get sick of us and we would ruin him. I wanted to punch the wall and then move everything else out. How could I be so stupid? He's probably just letting us move in because he feels like he needs to, because he feels the need to help me, not because he _wants _me too. And after a while, he'll wish he never even made this offer. The tears stopped as I drifted towards unconsciousness. Why couldn't anything just be _easy_?

**Paul's POV**

"Cheers, mate. I'll see you tomorrow."

John hops out of the car and walks towards his and Cyn's apartment. I start to back away and drive home, but he shouts out, "Oi! Send my regards to Aria and the little one! They're movin' in and all today, right?" I nod and smile to myself. Time to get home and finally start what we had been planning for a week.

The seven-minute drive to my house is slower than normal, only because I wanted to get home as quickly as possible (of course). I park and walk up to the apartment, looking around as soon as I walk in. Boxes covered the floor, but that is expected. There, behind all of them, is Aria curled up in the middle of a pile of clothes. I chuckle to myself but stopped suddenly, noticing the redness and dried tears that surrounded her eyes. Her nose is a bright red. She had been upset. But why? Today was supposed to be happy, and from what she tells me, everything with Aiden seems to be going really well...

I kneel down next to her sleeping form and contemplate why she would be upset. Is it me? I hope not... Sitting next to her for a few moments, I gingerly pick her up and carry her around the piles of boxes into my room...the room that we would be sharing from now on. I place her on the bed as gently as I can and change into a more comfortable outfit. I slide in next to her and place my arm around my waist, but she tenses slightly. She is awake.

"Aria? What's wrong?" I take my hand and try to turn her face towards mine, but she remains staring at the ceiling. Silence fills the air, and I desperately want to know why she's so upset. I prop myself up on my shoulder and look down at her, trying to get her to look at me.

A few seconds pass, and she looks up at me with the biggest brown eyes in the world. I can't read them. I can't read her at all. I have no idea what she's thinking, what happened, what anything is at this moment... I gather her up in my arms and pull her in close. Her unresponsive body is pressed into mine, and I just hope that she gets what I am trying to say with this hug. The things that I want to say but don't know how to. That I would do anything for her if she just let me.

We stay like that for a while, and I think she's asleep. Her eyes are closed and her head is nestled into my chest, rising and falling with every breath that I take. Her little form is so fragile to hold, I feel that by wrapping my arms around her I will break her. And I don't want to.

But she isn't asleep. A quiet sob echoes through the house and Aria immediately sits up and leaves the room, turning on the light in the main room and going to where Aiden was sleeping. Groggily, I follow her out and into the room. The sight immediately wakes me up.

Aiden is sprawled out in Aria's lap, clutching her nightshirt with his little fists and burrowing his head into her body. Small screams and sobs are emitted from him, and Aria desperately tries to calm him down by stroking his head and whispering soothing words to him.

_It's okay, Aiden... It's alright... I'm here now..._

I don't know if it's minutes or hours before Aiden's sobs begin to die down. He sniffles and removes himself from Aria's grip, laying his little head on the pillow. Aria looks tired, more tired then I've ever seen her, and scared. But she's so strong. Her hand shakes slightly as she continues to stroke his head and whisper to him. Aiden's eyes remain wide open, looking straight at me. Suddenly, I feel like an intruder. I don't belong here. I walk outside the door and slump next to it, able to hear the soft mumbles coming from the room. And then, I hear her sing.

_Golden slumbers fill your eyes_

_Smiles awake you when you rise_

_Sleep pretty darling, do not cry_

_And I will sing a lullaby_

Her voice shakes the entire time, but she continues on for the sake of this scared little boy. I close my eyes and try and imagine being in her place the past week. She didn't tell me about the nightmares, she didn't tell me about anything that was wrong... maybe her life hadn't been going as swimmingly as she made it out to be.

A few minutes later, she cracks open the door and closed it softly. Immediately, she begins to gasp and sob as she wraps her arms around herself. I jump to my feet and, seeing the startled look on her face, realize that she hadn't known I was still there. Her hands come up to wipe the tears away and she lets out a strangled laugh.

"Oh, Paul! Didn't know you were still here, don't mind me, really, I was just..."

I stand in front of her as her sentence trails off and stare directly into her eyes. She didn't need to hide from me, and if she thinks that she does, well then... I'm doing something bloody wrong. I reach out my hand to her and bring my other one up to touch her cheek.

"Aria."

And just like that, the tears that she refuses to shed unless she us by herself resurface and trail down her cheeks and an alarming speed. Without letting go of her hand, I walk her to the bed and lay her down just like I had done before, climbing in behind her and pulling her up against me. This time, she isn't as still as a stone. This time, she clings onto me just as Aiden clung onto her. Her tears fall into my skin and burn like fire. Hugging her back fiercely, I try to convey everything. But she is not going to understand.

"Aria."

Her sobs escalate even more.

"Shhh, Aria. It's okay. You're not alone."

Her sobs stop suddenly, and I hear a small gasp. Her fists strongly wind themselves into my shirt and she pulls me closer. Her voice is barely audible when she speaks.

"But what happens if you leave?"

I shake my head to make sure I heard the right thing. Where did she get that idea? Does she think that I won't want her? Does she think that I don't want Aiden? Then it hits me. She needs me, she needs me just as much as I need her. I pull back to look her eyes swimming with tears, fatigue and fear. She's afraid that I'll leave her, that I'll just toss her out when I'm bored.

No.

I sit up and pull her up with me and my hands find hers. I wipe away her tears with my thumb and lean in so that our foreheads touch and my eyes stare at her big brown pools.

"Aria, I will never leave."

She stares at me for a while, and I look back at her. Hours, days, years pass and she continues to search my soul. She untangles her hands from mine, places them on either side of my head, and plants a light, long kiss on my forehead. No words are needed. She lays down next to me and I pull her in to protect her and be there for her. She's no longer crying, but she shakes a little. I run my hand through her hair and begin to sing, just as she had before.

_Golden slumbers fill your eyes_

_Smiles awake you when you rise_

_Sleep pretty darling, do not cry_

_And I will sing a lullaby_

And even though I might not say it, I know it:

I will never leave her. And I love her.


	19. I Want You (She's So Heavy)

**I don't own the Beatles... meh.**

**I hope you guys like the story, again sorry for completely forgetting about it! I promise I'll update (if you guys want me too) :) thanks for reading, and don't forget to review!**

**Also...if you feel uncomfortable with some explicit sexual scenes, skip the second half of this chapter.**

_Paul's POV- The Next Morning_

I open my eyes and let the sunlight stream in slowly. All I want to do is fall back asleep and spend the rest of the day in bed...

_Bloody hell._

My head jolts back suddenly and I smack my head into the headboard. Ouch! Bloody hell! Motherf-

"Paw?"

Pain shoots through as I sit up and stare at the pair of eyes inches away from where my head had been. Aiden. Bloody hell, the kid had scared me half to death. Clutching my head, I direct my attention to the little chap who is looking around rather anxiously.

"Hi, Aiden... hi. Good morning."

"Ar-ee-uh?"

I check the clock hanging on the wall. 10 o'clock. She's probably been at work for three hours now... Who knows how long this little guy has been up? Well, I don't have to go into the studio today, so I guess I'm just spending the day with him...

"She's gone for a bit, she'll be back soon. Want something to eat?" Aiden scans the room one last time just to make sure Aria isn't secretly hiding out in the closet or under the bed. He looks back at me with big doe eyes and nods. Good thing I kind of know how to cook- more than Aria at least. I climb out of bed and throw on a robe. Winter's almost here, it's been getting a lot colder. I stand next to Aiden, and for a moment we seem to be sizing each other up. Can he tell that I'm absolutely not made out for this job? I hope not, but who's kidding. Anyone with a brain can see that I'm not cut out for this. But neither is Aria. And she's dealing with it.

I kneel down next to Aiden so that we are eye level. This all most be so confusing for him. I don't want to make it more so. "Hey, Aiden. Let's set some things straight." I reach out my hand to him. "Friends?" I can do friends. I can definitely do friends. Parent? Eh... not so much. But I can try.

Aiden looks at my hand and he's not sure what he's supposed to do with it. But then he walks directly towards me and wraps his little arms around my neck. "Paw is fwend!"

I blink a couple of times before it fully hits me that I'm partially responsible for making sure this child has a good life. And I'm going to make sure it happens. "Yeah, you bet we are!" I pick him up quickly and spin him around, his laughter and squealing filling the air. "Now, let's go get you some food. Aria wouldn't be too pleased if I starved you on my first real day on the job, would she?" Not that he understands, but he leads the way into the upstairs main room and carefully bumps down the stairs into the tiny kitchen. Already a pro at navigating the house. I open the fridge and see what's in stock. Beer. Leftover burgers. Alright, adding 'making this house more habitable for a woman and a little kid' on my list. Do I have a list? Starting one now.

"So, tike, whatta you want to eat? Not much in the house though. Just warning you."

"Gwilled cheese."

"That's a lunch food, what about breakfast? Lemme see if-"

"Paw I wan gwilled cheese!"

I laugh and look at the little tike who looks as though he's about to burst out sobbing. And after last night... Pushing that out of my head. Now's not the time. I check the fridge. Bread, check. Cheese, check. At least I have one thing in this house set straight. Five minutes later, a sandwich with cheese spilling out the sides is placed in front of Aiden. But he shakes his head.

"What? I thought you wanted grilled cheese!" He wrinkles his nose and points at the crust. "Off!" I quickly pull the crusts off and he takes a big (well, relatively small) bite into the sandwich. Temper tantrum avoided.

_Six hours later_

Okay, so the rest of the tantrums hadn't been avoided. I flop down on the couch next to a sleeping Aiden and I try to remember the last time I had been this exhausted. Never. No- maybe when the band pulled those countless all nighters in Germany. But that's it.

It was impossible to entertain him. He runs around pretending to be a superhero for ten minutes, and then he suddenly wants to go through all my drawers and try on an assortment of the leather jackets that I wear for gigs...and my underwear. And then he wants to go down to the pier to see the ducks (thank the lord there were no photographers around). But then when he gets there he wants to go back and sleep. But then when he gets back he wants to basically punch my guitars in order to try and play them. And throughout all of this, he managed to convince me to make him _five _grilled cheese sandwiches. This little tike was going to drive me up the wall.

But it was a good day. Even though my thought process was almost always just 'bloody hell'. I haven't spent time with a little one in who knows how long, except when John decides to bring around Julian, which isn't really that often. They have so much energy, it's almost impossible. Except it isn't. I look at the sleeping boy next to me as the clock reads four pm. Aria should be home soon...

"Paw! Paw! Wake up!"

"Wha-?" Aiden is jumping up and down on the couch next to me and I snap awake. Did I even fall asleep? But then I turn and see Aria standing in the entrance, smirking. I smile and go over to greet her, kissing her lightly on the lips as I drew her near. I still have a hard time processing that she's mine, that I'm lucky enough to have her, after all these months. Even with all the current madness, she's still mine and it's unreal. A shriek and an "Ew!" from the couch confirmed that Aiden had noticed.

"Looks like you two had fun today, huh?"

I laugh and look back at the tike jumping up and down on the sofa. "Yeah, you could say that. But I think we should have something other than grilled cheese for dinner." My eyes fell on the white bags that lay near Aria's feet that Jet was sniffing through. "Oh, you got take out. Did I tell you you're perfect?"

_Aria's POV_

"Come on, tike, if you don't eat, how are you going to get big and strong like me here?" Paul flexes, rather pathetically I might add, and I let out a laugh. He turns seriously to Aiden. "Aria here doesn't understand what it's like, does she. It's important to be tough, right? _Some people _just can't appreciate it."

"Oh, do shut up," I say with a laugh. Paul and Aiden seem to be getting along just fine, which is a big relief. Although, from what I've noticed so far, Aiden's been pushing him around. Paul McCartney, one of the next big rock stars, being pushed around by a two year old. It's too good.

Two adults, a child, and a dog. While even this house is going to be a little cramped up, it's so much better than what it would've been like in mine. The commute to work hasn't changed all that much, we're pretty close to all the best places, and... I get to be with Paul. All the worrying I did last night is gone now, and he made sure of that. I'll say I'm just lucky to have him standing by me in a time like this and willingly getting to know and care for Aiden.

After he finally finishes being forced to eat, I send Aiden off to bed, tucking him in and kissing him on the forehead. "If you need me, I'm right here, okay?" Exhausted, I stumble into the bedroom and turn on the shower. Hot water beats down on my tense muscles, not that it does much to help. My muscles will be permanently tense just from the past week. Sleep had been out of the question, as every night I had spent hours sitting with Aiden, trying to calm him down. Work is the same usual busy load that I couldn't escape. Not that I want to. It provides a time to get away from everything, to just focus on myself and my success for a fraction of time. But oh my goodness, why are my muscles just not relaxing? It's killing me. I step out of the tiny shower and walk towards the bathtub, turning it on. It's only 8:30, I have time to kill.

Once the water is filled to the top and a few drops (or a lot of drops) of aromatherapy bubbles are poured in, I sink into the scalding hot water, sighing as my skin burns. It feels amazing. I close me eyes and pretend I'm on an island, where there's nothing wrong and it's just me and the ocean and the sun...

_Knock knock knock. _"Aria, you in there?" I snap out of my momentary reverie.

"Just taking a bath."

There was a pause. I can see the outline of his feet from underneath the crack in the door. He cleared his throat. "Um, mind if I join you?"

We hadn't done anything...sexual... in a long time. Even two weeks before the news of Aiden came, I was just too damn busy with work and he was constantly at gigs. Whenever we saw each other, it was always with the group. When we were alone, we were both exhausted and just ended up kissing each other goodnight. There was the occasional heated make out session, but it never turned into more than that. Now that we were living together, well, there really was no getting around it, right? Not that I wanted to. But the concept of sex was still weirdly foreign to me. Paul and I had only done it once, that time at his house. I feel bad that I've never initiated it after that, but I just didn't really "get" sex yet. It was a little embarrassing, and being frank, it had hurt like hell.

I have no idea how many girls Paul has slept with, not that it really matters. He was obviously my first, and it was nice to have someone who knew what they were actually doing at the time, because I sure as hell didn't. It was Paul leading the way, which took a huge burden off of me. I have no idea about any of these kinds of things...

"Erm, yeah sure." What the hell, why is my voice so squeaky and high? Calm down, Aria, it's not like this is something new...

But it was something different. Paul turned the knob and walked in, greeting me with a smile. "You're adorable when you blush, you know that right?" I'm blushing? Crap. I bite my lower lip. The bubbles hid everything, and it's _Paul_. What is wrong with me right now? Paul pulls his shirt over his head and kicks off his jeans. Something begins to pool in the deep pit of my stomach, well no, right...there. This wasn't there the last time. And it was the most uncomfortable feeling I've ever felt in my entire life. I squeeze my legs together and wish it would go away. Paul looks straight at me and I can't imagine what my face must look like, what with this feeling in my stomach that won't go away. He slips his boxers off and Paul McCartney stands in front of me fully naked.

He gives me a wink and I blush even more, squeezing my legs together even harder. _What the hell is in my stomach. _He steps into the tub.

"Bloody hell! How hot is this water?!" But he continues to slide in until he is sitting opposite from me. I let out a laugh but it sounds more like a choked gasp. What in the world... Paul eyes me in a funny way. "You okay?"

I nod vigorously. I can't trust myself to speak. And Paul is in a bathtub naked right across from me. The thought makes my lower stomach even more aggravated. I can't take this anymore. I feel Paul's hand wrap around mine, and it begins to tug me forward. "Come here." I slide across the floor of the tub, the bubbles so high that they continue to block everything from view. And then, Paul positions me so that my back is resting on his chest and I am _sitting naked on top of him_. He pushes my head back so that its laying on his shoulder and I'm looking up at him. I feel my bottom pressing into his nether areas and it feels... I lose my thought train for a mere second. My body reacts and I suddenly arch my back and press my bottom even more into him and I let out a tiny moan. _What._ My head snaps up and my hands rush to cover my face. What in the world did I just do...

"Paul, oh my god, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to do that, it just happened and I didn't know and-"

Paul lets out a laugh and wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me closer to his firm body as his lips gently tug at my ear. My lower area squirms and I try not to press my legs together again, but I do.

"Aria," he whispered into my ear. His hot breath sticks to my neck and I shudder. "You don't know what's happening to you right now, don't you?" I look straight ahead and close my eyes. This is so embarrassing. "Well, how should I put this...Your body is...excited." I keep my eyes closed and squirm violently in his lap as his hands trail from my waist up the sides of my body.

"Paul... this is so embarrassing. I'm sorry, my stomach is just-"

My voice immediately stops and turns into a moan as his hands suddenly grip my breasts. "It's not your stomach, Aria," he whispers. "And it's not embarrassing. It's good. It's so, so good." His lips kiss my shoulder and work their way up to my neck, where Paul begins to steadily suck. I let out a cry and once again, my back arcs up on its own accord. "Don't think about it, Aria," Paul whispers. "Just feel. Let yourself go and just feel." He goes back to my neck and I try to take his advice. Just...feel. Feel his warm tongue on my neck. Feel his hands massaging my breasts. Feel the thing in my stomach grow even more, so much that my squirming turns into a rocking back and forth motion. At this point, I'm almost jumping up and down on Paul, but I can't think about it. I can't think about anything. I let out a cry of pain, but it wasn't pain. But it was just as unbearable.

"Oh no, Aria, you aren't getting there without me."

Getting what? Getting where? Paul's hands trail down from my breasts all the way down to my knees, then back up the inside of my thighs. I reach my hands up and grip Paul's hair behind me, needing to find something to hold on to. My bottom continues to buck up and down on its own accord and I press my head into the crook between his neck and shoulder, looking up at his wild face. I bite my lip down to keep from screaming, but when I feel one hand move to clench my bottom and a finger from the other slip inside me and start to move in and out, I can't hold it back. Paul tilts his head and captures my gasps and moans in a kiss, a violent and needy one. My hands end up gripping the sides of the bathtub for dear life as the pit in my stomach grows to a point where I feel as if I'm going to die. Another finger joins the first, and he thrusts into me so much faster. His lips and tongue continue to claim mine as I let out moan after moan, and his hand originally on my bottom travels near his fingers and wraps around a spot that I never knew existed. When he tugs, it becomes all too much. A million things break inside of me and I scream into Paul's mouth. My hands travel down to grip his as hard as I possibly can, and he pulls his fingers out to wrap his arm around my waist and grip my hand with the other. Wave after wave of an unnamable thing rocks my body and for that moment, I am just feeling. Feeling the pleasure and pain. I let out one final scream as the last wave tides me over, and I collapse completely against Paul's body. He wraps his other hand in mine and crosses both of our arms across my shaking body. I feel myself start to sink as my head lowers down to rest on Paul's chest.

_What in the world was that_. I've never felt anything like...that.

After a few minutes of silence filled with my shaky breaths, Paul untangles one of his arms and pushes my sweaty hair out of my face. I can't move. He turns my head to look up at him and plants the lightest of kisses on my swollen lips. I stop shaking after a while and buried my neck into his chest, letting the feel of the still hot water wash over me. I wrap my arms around his body, wanting him to never let me go. His hand comes up to my cheek and his thumb rubs back and forth absentmindedly.

"How..."

Paul lets out a small laugh. "I'm guessing you just experienced your first orgasm." He paused. "Shame it didn't happen last time. Probably would have made it easier for you. Did it hurt? Last time that is. Well, this time too."

I must seem startled by the frank question, because he laughed and said, "It's okay, Aria, I just wanted to know."

I cleared my throat. "Well, yes this was the first...time...I had one and yes, last time kind of hurt...really...but this time...well it hurt in a different way." My eyebrow scrunches. "How did you do that?"

Paul laughs and kisses me lightly again. "You're beautiful, you know? Don't be embarrassed by it." He can't see my face. I smile and close my eyes, knowing that whatever crazy things are happening outside of this moment, it was okay. We have this.


End file.
